Dragon Knights: Unending
by SecretForKeeps
Summary: Nadil may have been defeated, but that doesn't mean the story is over.  With Rath as Dragon Lord and a whole country to take care of, there are still many adventures to be had and secrets to be uncovered.  Multiple pairings, rating may change.
1. The Dragon Palace

The sun shone brilliantly through the white lace curtains, reflecting off of shining marble floors. A fresh breeze drifted in, bringing with it the sound of birds chirping and the faint scent of the gardens outside, reminding the Dragon Lord of everything he could be doing at that moment, but wasn't.

Rath Illuser signed yet another boring document requiring his oh-so-necessary seal of approval, then let his head sink to the desk with a soft thump. It was no wonder why Lykouleon had constantly been sneaking out of the castle. He wondered if anyone might notice if he were to sneak out his window. No sooner had he thought that, than there was a knock at his door.

"My Lord? Are you finished with those documents I gave to you earlier?"

Rath picked himself back up and sighed. "Yes, come in Rune."

The White Dragon Officer strode into the room. Today his long blonde hair was pulled back into a high ponytail, and he looked as stunning and effeminate as ever. Though he would murder anyone who said it to his face. The half-elf, half-dragon smiled brightly at the sight of piles of completed documents and hefted the load up into his arms easily. An odd sight he made, a slender girlish man with at least fifty pounds worth of documents threatening to spill over. "I hope you recall the meeting you have with the politicians from Hermosa coming today. Thatz sent a letter ahead of him, saying they'd be here in time for lunch." Rune grinned. "I'll warn the cooks, shall I?"

"Yes, do that," Rath agreed, stretching his arms above him and yawning loudly, tossing off a silk scarf that had been draped over his shoulders but now seemed restricting. It landed on the floor next to his boots made of fine leather and with a decent two-inch heel. Thatz may have thought that it was strange for a guy to wear heels, but how else was he to compete with Cesia in her towering stilettos?

Rune sweatdropped. "Rath…er, I mean, My Lord… I hope you'll remember to behave properly this time. We just barely came to an agreement with the people from Kuulta last time, but Hermosa is a considerably larger country with greater trading capabilities. We can't lose their support just because of…uncivilized behavior."

Rath waved him off. "Yes, yes, I know… No swords at the dining table." He paused and remembered something. "By the way, could you send Gil in? I have something I need to ask him…"

"Right," Rune's eye twitched as he was dismissed, his fingers itching to close around the handle of a mallet and give Rath a good smack. But he was the Dragon Lord now and as such, Rune was no longer in a place to… discipline him, for lack of a better term. But that didn't stop him from imagining it in his mind. He would never have entertained the though with the previous lord, but he and Rath were old friends, and the dark-haired man could truly be a pain sometimes.

He closed the door behind him and adjusted the stack of documents in his arms. He could see why Rath would be tired and he was grateful that his friend had matured at least a little bit. Though he still snuck out to hunt demons more often than was good for Rune's blood pressure, at least he had yet to set his paperwork on fire, as he was prone to do with his homework when they were younger.

"Rune!" called out a high-pitched voice. The blond elf turned to see a girl with a petite frame and large eyes hurrying towards him.

"Lim, good timing! Could I ask you to go tell the cooks that Thatz and company will be here in time for lunch?"

"Sure thing! But before you dash off, I came to ask you about tomorrow. Like, what sort of things will I need to pack and, um, how should I dress…?" she trailed off with a tint of blush in her cheeks.

Rune blinked and looked down at her current outfit. It certainly wasn't something the typical faerie would wear, having far too many studs and decorations and lace, but it wasn't unacceptable either. But he knew she was concerned as this would be her first trip to the faerie forest and her first time meeting with faeries other than the ones here at the capital. He smiled at her and said, "Elves live and dress simply. You will need to pack only what you need for the journey to Faerie Forest. As for clothes, simply wear whatever you are most comfortable in. It can't be any worse than what Saabel wears, afterall."

She giggled at the thought of the flamboyant elf-turned-demon-turned-knight and ran off, calling over her shoulder, "Kay! I'll see you at dinnertime!"

Rune gave an exasperated but fond sigh and started off again to drop off the paperwork at his own office.

* * *

Cesia hummed lightly to herself as she arranged flowers in a large vase at the entrance to the dining room. She loved to work with her hands, be it cooking or cleaning or simple tasks like the one she was currently occupied with. Though she was now the Dragon Queen, she still tried to help out around the palace. When they would let her, that is.

She stepped back to admire her handiwork and then turned to see what else needed to be done. The maids were taking care of the table settings, with Delte over-seeing them. Since Cernozura had left with the former Dragon Empress to the mountains, they had not been able to properly replace her. Currently, since her fortune-telling powers were not so necessary, Delte was stepping in as the castle's administrator. Cesia noticed her gently correcting a maid on the placement of silverware at one of the seats next to the head of the table—Thatz's seat, if she wasn't mistaken.

"This seat is special," she was telling the maid, a young girl with curly hair. "Ever since Sir Thatz lost his arm, we've been taking care to make sure his utensils are all on the right side." With a gentle smile, she moved a salad fork and placed it to the right and all the while, the girl was bowing and apologizing. She must have been a new maid.

"Delte certainly seems to go out of her way for Mr. Thatz these days, don't you think?"

Cesia jumped, startled, not having realized that the girl Pyore, who was currently working as one of the castle maids, had come up beside her. "Y-yes. Well. He has saved her several times now, hasn't he? I'm sure she's grateful."

Pyore giggled. "I think it's a bit more than just that."

Cesia's eyes widened and she looked back and forth between Delte and the young girl. "You don't mean—"

Pyore just smiled and put a finger to her lips before returning to her work.

Cesia glanced in the direction of the strawberry-blond fortune teller and tilted her head as she thought about it. Once upon a time, she had assumed that Kitchel and Thatz were together, but after witnessing the thief's obsessive stalking of the Black Dragon Officer, she had changed her mind. Delte was often preoccupied with her duties as the Dragon Castle's fortune teller, and due to his responsibilities as the Blue Dragon Officer, Thatz was traveling across Dusis more often than not, so it's not like they had many opportunities to see each other… But then again… Well, she would just wait and observe them for now.

The idea of her formal rival in fortune telling being in love with the former Earth Dragon Knight was unexpected and a little awkward. Thatz was like a brother to her. She couldn't say that she and Delte were the best of friends, but they got along considerably better than they used to. At least she wasn't meddling in Rath's affairs anymore. Cesia almost pouted when she recalled the memory of discovering that the card reader had done a reading for Rath when Cesia herself was unable to see him with her own fortune-telling powers.

But no matter. She looked towards a clock in the dining hall. Thatz and the ambassadors from Hermosa would be arriving soon and she had to go change into something a tad more formal.

* * *

Another knock sounded against the door to the Dragon Emperor's study, though this one was much softer than Rune's. Rath knew already who it would be.

"Come in," he called.

The door opened and Gil entered. He bowed. "Rune told me that you wished to speak to me about something?"

"Yeah, I did. Come sit down."

Gil did so, silently. Then he stared at the Dragon Lord patiently.

"Are you busy with anything here in Draqueen?"

"Not particularly."

"Anything you'd like to report?"

"No."

Rath chuckled. "You never change, you know? Always so quiet. And you had such an attitude when I first met you. Feel free to speak your mind. You can be angry at me or whatever. I know I deserve it. I did kill you afterall," he was quite straightforward. "And honestly I deal with violence better than silence."

Gil raised an eyebrow. "I'm not angry at you."

Rath's lips formed a smile but his eyes contradicted him. "Oh? Well, that's fine then. Eitherway, it's not what I wanted to talk to you about. I'd like you to do a job for me."

"Me? But I'm not currently a real dragon knight. With the fire dragon sealed, I wouldn't be of much use."

"It's no matter. You're still the best one for the job."

"Is that so?" his voice held a tint of curiousity.

"You're aware of all these ridiculous meetings we've been having with the representatives of different parts of the world? It's a pain, but Nadil's attack devastated more than just Draqueen. And as the Dragon Lord, it's my duty to extend my help to those who need it." He rolled his eyes. "Even if they don't want it."

Gil shifted in his seat, reminded of what an immature brat Rath could be, but deciding not to say anything.

Rath pulled out a map and his finger landed on various points. "We've received complaints from all over Dusis, made contact with Kuulta and Hermosa, and received a letter from Memphis…" his finger ran north. "But we have yet to make contact with Glaciosa." Rath glanced up to judge Gil's reaction. He wasn't a great reader of people the way Lykouleon was, but he did try. "You were born in Glaciosa, had family there. You would know the area best out of anyone in the Dragon Clan. Could I ask you to go and report the situation?"

Gil was silent for a moment.

"You could check on Barl too. I'm sure he would be overjoyed to know that you are doing well."

Gil started. "But after what I did—"

"Even so." Rath sighed. "Believe me. I know better than anyone the value of family who loves you for who you are. Demon or not. It was something I denied for years and it was really pointless in the end." He smiled. "Cesia showed me that. I also know what it's like to not have proper closure. I think you need to go back as much as I need you to. What do you say?"

Gil's hands clenched into fists on his lap. "I…" He took a deep breath and looked up. "I'll—"

A fist pounding insistently on the study door interrupted him. "They're here!" Rune called. "My Lord, you must come out to greet the ambassadors now!"

"Ughh," Rath fell back in his chair with a groan. "I hate this part of the job." He pushed himself up with little enthusiasm, Gil standing as well. As the two former Knights of Fire walked to the door together, Rath turned to Gil. "If you'd like to think about it, you can give me your answer later. No rush, heheh!"

Gil had the impression that what Rath didn't want to rush was another meeting with foreign politicians. "No. I will go. I can leave tomorrow if that's alright with you."

Rath nodded, serious again. They pushed open the door to where Rune was waiting and tapping his foot impatiently.

"Finally!" He grabbed Rath away and pulled the dark-haired lord down the hallway. "Come on, hurry up! Stand up straight! Oh, I can't believe you haven't changed into something more proper! But there's no time to change and—"

"I'll leave it to you Gil!" Rath called over his shoulder as he was dragged away.

The purple-haired man stared at the retreating forms of his superiors. It had been several months and he still was not accustomed to their antics.

"What is he leaving to you?"

Gil turned around. "Bierrez," he greeted.

The orange-haired Red Dragon Officer stepped out from behind a pillar.

"Were you eavesdropping?"

"No. I simply happened to arrive just as he left. So what is it he wants you to do?"

"I am to travel to Glaciosa to inspect the damages from the demon attack and report back the country's status. Rath is worried since they are the only country we haven't heard from."

"Oh, so that brat can be responsible sometimes."

"Aren't you supposed to be greeting the ambassadors with the others?"

"No, my services aren't needed for such diplomatic relations." His tone was slightly sarcastic and Gil wasn't sure what was implied by that statement. "Anyway, why isn't he sending Thatz? As officer of foreign affairs, wouldn't that be his job?"

"I was born in Glaciosa."

"Oh?" Bierrez blinked in realization. "Oh. You mean you… Is this okay with you? I mean, it's…" He trailed off, not sure what to say. Social skills had never been important before he became a part of the Dragon Clan. "Don't you have an older brother or something there?"

"Younger, actually. But it's fine. I had to face my demons someday." He smiled at the ironic wording. "How are you faring? Leader of the Dragon Officers."

Bierrez made a face. "Let's not talk about that. It's too ridiculously awkward."

"What? Why?"

"Oh, you know… I used to be their enemy. Now I'm their leader? Not to mention the fact that two of them are still much older and more experienced than I am. Ruwalk isn't so bad, but Tetheus is… so stern… It's like talking to a wall. Then add in the fact that Shydeman and Shyrendora were his siblings…" Bierrez shivered. "Let's just say I'm glad I'm not his enemy anymore. Then there's the other two. Rune is stubborn, but he does his job. Thatz is the troublemaker. That guy gives me such grief."

He had such a look of exasperation on his face that Gil couldn't help but let out a chuckle. "Alright, we can change the subject."

"Fine with me, what shall we talk about?"

"How are you and Cesia getting along these days? Are you on better terms now?"

Bierrez's face took on a reddish hue and he looked away hurriedly. "Of all the questions! You just had to rub it in!"

This time Gil laughed openly.

* * *

Thatz held his tongue as he rode in the carriage and the group he was with belittled Draqueen in what was supposed to be disguised as small talk. At first they would compliment the city on this or that charming market or lovely architecture, but then there would always be a snide remark tossed in about how the dragon lord was too flashy or did the city have more than just nice appearances? Or was it true that beyond the main streets there would be nought but peasants and street kids living in poverty.

It normally wasn't easy to bother Thatz, but Draqueen was _his _city. It was where _he _grew up and he had been one of those "street kids," dammit! Sure, he'd never lived anywhere fancy when he was growing up and life had been hard at times, but he'd never considered himself poor and he most certainly never felt anything other than pride for Draqueen. He breathed a sigh as they finally entered the gates of the Dragon Palace.

Now he knew how Kaistern racked up those bills drinking liquor while away on his travels.

As they entered the Dragon Palace, the foul-speaking politicians had nothing more to say. Thatz smirked. The Dragon Palace had that effect on people. It was the first thing to be restored by the Dragon Lord's magic once Rath returned from Kainaldia as the new Lord. And with a change of Lords, the castle also underwent a change of styles. If possible, it was even grander and more exquisite than before.

They passed through sprawling gates and archways to go through the front gardens, which were meticulously kept by Cesia and the castle staff, along with the help of any visiting faeries, Rune included. A large set of stairs led up to the main entrance, a huge set of double doors made of oak. The outside of the palace showed a seeming labyrinth of balconies, walkways, and turrets leading to buildings and structures that were inevitably labyrinths within themselves. Rath always was more elaborate and complex in his tastes than Lykouleon. Really, quite a snob, actually. Thatz had long memorized the layout of the castle, but he knew that some of the staff still got lost within the many halls.

Thatz stepped out and with a wave of his arm, motioned to the splendor before him. "Welcome to the Dragon Castle!" he exclaimed. More flowers had been placed at the entrance and Dragon Fighters lined the walkway, standing straight and tall in their uniforms. At the top of the stairs, Ruwalk and Rune stood on either side of the royal couple, Rath and Cesia, as they waited to greet the ambassadors.

The first, the tallest of the three, stepped out of the carriage and straightened his clothes nervously. The second was a stern-looking man with a mustache and the last was the shortest and oldest and had a long beard. The last man was the one that Thatz had picked out as the wisest and most logical of the three. He sensibly had not offered his opinions during the entire trip, whereas his companions had chattered incessantly.

Thatz bounded up the steps to where his friends were standing. At Rune's glare, he bowed for formality's sake and then turned to introduce the men from Hermosa. The three were polite and eyed Rath and Cesia with expressions that were difficult to interpret. None of the men had before met the new sovereigns. Lykouleon had ruled for some time, afterall the lifespan of a Dragon Clan member was considerably longer than that of a human's.

"So, _you _are the new Dragon Lord? Tell me boy, just how old are you?" asked the man with the mustache.

Rath's eye twitched and he forced a smile. "Yes, indeed I am. I am the late Dragon Lord's… son. My name is Rath." He smirked, "And I am in my thirties, how about you?"

Rune subtly elbowed Rath as the man sputtered. "Thirties? You hardly look a day over twenty!"

His companion with a beard interrupted him. "Now, remember. The Dragon Clan ages differently from us. You can't judge a book by its cover, especially not here."

"I suppose it would be good to officially introduce all of us present," Ruwalk started. "My name is Ruwalk and I am the Secretary of State. I don't know if you'll remember me, but we have met before. I served under the previous Lord as well." He motioned to his right. "This is Rune, the Chief Secretary." Rune nodded in greeting. Then Ruwalk waved towards Thatz who had taken up position on Rath's other side. "You already know our Officer of Foreign Affairs, Thatz. And of course here is our Dragon Lord Rath and Lady Cesia." Rath gave a deep nod and Cesia a small curtsy. The three ambassadors bowed and stated their names.

They entered. The sun had reached its noontime peak and already the table was set so that they could all enjoy a meal before getting to the serious negotiations. And that was perfectly fine with Thatz. His stomach rumbled, voicing its displeasure at not having been fed yet.

A feast was waiting for them. As the former Knight of Earth shoveled down plate after plate of food, the rest of the table got down to business in the form of… more small talk. He didn't bother to take part, but he did take notice.

Rune answered most of the difficult questions, deflecting a few of them to Ruwalk and Rath and Cesia answered the simple questions in regards to courtesy. In return, the men answered questions regarding the state of their own country. It would seem that much was in order, not all of the country having been affected by the demons. It was apparently pulling itself together well enough and would not need support from Dragoon.

Lunch ended with little trouble and the dignitaries were taken to their accommodations and agreed to commence their meeting later that afternoon.

"Well, so far so good," Rune sighed.

"It doesn't look like the Dragon Clan will need to send any assistance to Hermosa. I'm relieved, that probably means that the other countries such as Hyuray and Memphis may also have suffered less," remarked Cesia.

"Don't be so sure." The group turned to look at Thatz. He was sipping a cup of tea and put it down on its saucer. "I took a look around while I was there. The main city of Fiori was being rebuilt, and all the wealthy people seem to be looking after their own, but I can't say the same for the lower classes. By the look of things, Fiori Forest was pretty damaged as well, and a lot of their resources come from there."

"I agree with Thatz," said Ruwalk. "This wouldn't be the first time that Hermosa hid the state of its internal affairs from the rest of the world. They don't like foreign assistance, no matter how badly they may need it."

"That's awful!" cried Cesia. "The whole point of ruling a country is to take care of its people!"

"What do you recommend, Thatz?" asked Rath.

"Winter is coming soon… The faeries will probably take care of the forest," he looked to Rune for confirmation, who nodded, then he continued, "But that will still take some time. Probably the most immediate problem would be provisions for the winter."

The young lord sighed. He thought for a moment. "They won't be short on wood, right? From all the damaged parts of the forest they'll have ample supply to burn. Tell Tetheus to gather a group of Dragon Fighters together, preferably ones able to use some fire magic, and we'll send them back to Hermosa with the diplomats."

Rune smiled. "Yes sir." As an afterthought, he turned to Thatz. "And don't forget to turn in your formal report from your trip! I'll be expecting it some time tonight!" He bowed and left, Ruwalk following behind.

That left Rath, Thatz, and Cesia reclining at the table. Thatz put his feet up and groaned. "God, I hate politics. And reports. Yeesh."

"You're telling me," Rath slumped down in his seat.

"So. Anything interesting happen while I was gone?"

"Unfortunately, no. It has been peaceful but uneventful," said Cesia.

"It's been boring! I want to go demon hunting!" Rath whined.

"Rath! You've got a responsibility as the dragon lord now! There aren't even that many demons around anymore."

"I know, it's so annoying," he muttered.

Thatz laughed. "Well, once they've been exterminated on Dusis, we could always start on Arinas."

"Arinas?" The couple looked at him questioningly.

"You mean you haven't heard of it either? It's a dead continent across the sea. No one lives there anymore. No one human anyway. It's completely overrun with demons."

Rath's eyes started shining and Cesia was quick to whack him in the head.

"Master who works at the bar in downtown Draqueen told me about it. He always has his ear to everything, you know?" Thatz laughed. "Anyway, it showed up on the map to the three treasures and Kitchel and I took a boat over there to find the entrance to the cave. It's pretty intense."

Rath stared at Cesia with puppy dog eyes.

"No, Rath. No way!" She crossed her arms over her chest to emphasize her refusal.

"Come on Cesia, it'll be like a second honeymoon…"

"What part of that is like a honeymoon?"

"You and me, teaming up against a horde of demons in a foreign land… It'll be just like the good old days when we were traveling together!"

"Are you referring to the time when I kept getting cursed and you kept nearly killing me with your carelessness (and cooking)?"

Thatz laughed. He stood up. "I want to go out later, so I guess I'll leave you two alone and get started on that report for Rune." He stuck his tongue out. "Duty calls. I'll see you guys at the continuation of the meeting later today." With a wave of his hand, he was strolling off down the halls.

"Gosh," Cesia sighed and slumped over onto Rath's shoulder. He wrapped an arm around her and she leaned in even more. "I can't wait until the world returns to normal and we aren't so busy."

"You don't have to attend all these meetings with me, it's not a part of your duties. Raseleane almost never took part in them."

"And leave you by yourself?" she scoffed. "I won't be that sort of queen, always sitting idle while there are matters to attend to. If anything, my duty is to be there for you and be there for our people. How am I supposed to do that if all I do is sit on my ass and sip tea or embroider or… or… other frivolous and pointless things like that." She pouted. "Besides, if I'm not there, who knows what sort of trouble you'd get yourself into."

Rath leaned down and kissed her. "Thank you."

She smiled and kissed back. "For what?"

"For being here." He pulled her closer so he had better access to her mouth as he deepened the kiss. Her hands went up to run through his deep red locks of hair, making the unruly strands into even more of a mess. Moaning slightly as he moved down from her lips to the line of her jaw and towards her ear.

"R-Rath…" she whispered breathily. A dark blush had spread across her cheeks as one of his hands founds its way up her waist and over her chest. "Not… Not here…" She pushed him away and he backed off guiltily.

Displays of affection were still slightly awkward for the couple. Though they were married, they were more often than not seen teasing each other or bickering over small matters. It was only in private that they shared any intimate moments and it was because they were only ever physically affectionate in private that the moments were that much more special and they could still become so embarrassed.

Nonetheless, they cherished each other. Even after they pulled away, Cesia's hand sought Rath's, their fingers becoming entwined around each other. She smiled again, her blush still staining her cheeks, as they sat together in a comfortable silence.

More seriously, she glanced up at him. "Do you really want to go? To Arinas?" While both had acted as though they were hearing of it for the first time when Thatz spoke of it, neither could forget what was revealed by Nadil in Kainaldia. It was an unspoken yet unresolved issue.

Rath frowned. "Arinas is… I don't know. I have no memories of it. I know almost nothing about it aside from the usual rumors and what Thatz already told us. And that Arinas is where I came from and where Kharl still resides."

"Kharl? You mean the alchemist Kharl? The one who caused Crewger's death?"

"Yes, the same. The Renkin Wizard, the One-Winged Angel, he apparently goes by many names. He is a demon not allied with Nadil, and he has been after me for years. I don't know why. I'm not even sure I want to know why, but there's no doubt that it's connected to my past." His eyes were distant as he thought about his past. "He once tried to revive my demonic side. It was when I was very young. I had escaped from the Dragon Castle to go hunt demons and I met him in the mountains. If not for Kaistern then, I… I don't know what would have happened." He shuddered.

Cesia laid a reassuring hand on his. "Kaistern told me about that. He said that was when he met the Heaven's Star Princess."

"The Heaven's Star Princess?" He shot her a puzzled glance.

"That's right, I never really told you about her, did I? She's the one that gave me the wind staff. Her mother created the original wind staff, but that was destroyed by Nadil and so she had the replica created. I've tried to learn more about her, but I have no idea who she really is or where she came from. All I know is that if it weren't for her, you would be dead, and I would have broken my promise."

His brow furrowed. "Hmm…" A mysterious woman powerful enough to create the wind staff… and her daughter? He had never heard of anyone like that. Come to think of it, they had never looked into anything regarding the creation of the wind staff, only its current location. "Did you look in the Dragon Clan's library? Perhaps in some of the older records? We could ask Rune, he's sure to know. Studious as he is."

Cesia shook her head. "I already tried. Most of our records were lost or damaged when the castle was attacked."

"Dammit." He sighed.

Cesia smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry about it so much. We can leave it for later. Right now there are other matters to attend to." She kissed his cheek and stood up, gathering her dress so it would not trip her.

"I'll see you at dinner tonight."

He stood as well and stretched his arms over his head. Lately all he'd been doing was sitting at his desk or sitting through meetings. He decided to take his wife's advice and leave the heavier matters for later. Right now, it seemed to him a perfect opportunity to sneak out to the gardens before Rune could come drag him back to his office.

* * *

Meanwhile, a young woman was sneaking over the castle wall and landed quietly on a nearby tree branch. She re-adjusted the strap of the bag slung over her shoulder and giggled quietly to herself. She leaped down to duck behind some well-trimmed shrubbery and looked around at her surrounding area. Even though the landscape had changed a bit, it was still ridiculously easy to sneak into the Dragon Castle. As she approached the walls of the nearest building, she spied a balcony that was close enough to the ground that she could pull herself up onto it. She took another glance around to make sure there were no guards nearby, then she took a running leap….

A trio of Dragon Fighters were sitting on the ground outside on a balcony, playing a game of cards and keeping out of sight. They were off-duty at the moment, but that didn't mean their commander would go easy on them if he found them gambling. They were fairly new to the castle guard, recruits chosen to take the place of some of the honorable Fighters who had died during the siege on the palace.

But none of them were thinking of that at the moment. They were all in, with a pile of money and trinkets of value sitting in the middle of the three. It was a tense moment, since none of them wanted to lose. But suddenly, the tension was broken as a young woman suddenly came hurtling over the balcony ledge. Not expecting anyone to be on the other side, she tumbled head-first into the middle of their game.

The three stared in shock as she sat up and laughed nervously. "Eh heh… hi. Mind if I join you?"

They soon were dragging her down the hallway as she kicked and screamed, putting up a huge fuss. "Lemme go! I told you guys already! I'm friends with the Dragon Lord and officers! I was just gonna surprise them, honest! I wasn't breaking in!" She paused. "Well, technically I was…" She shook her head and took up her screaming again. "But they don't mind, they're used to it! I swear, you guys are gonna regret treating me like this!"

"Yeah, yeah. Tell that to the commander." They pulled her into an office and pushed her down in a chair. One of them stepped forward. "Commander, we caught this intruder trying to sneak into the castle!"

The dark haired man was facing the window, back turned. He rubbed the bridge of his nose as his peace was interrupted. Turning around to deal with whatever it is, he caught sight of the intruder they had dragged in. Suddenly, he wished he had been required to attend that meeting with the diplomats.

"Tetheus!" the young woman shrieked as she launched herself at him and grabbed him in a hug. He closed his eyes and tried to maintain his composure.

However, the Dragon Fighters had become rather unnerved. For one, they were terrified that they really had just apprehended a guest rather than an intruder, and two, they had never seen anyone treat the Black Dragon Officer that way.

"What brings you here… Kitchel?"

* * *

Author's Notes:

I started writing this as a continuation of Dragon Knights since the series kind of left us hanging on a lot of points. The stories I'm writing are entirely based off of my own ideas of what happened with certain characters. I try to be as accurate as possible, and if you ever want to know how I came up with my ideas, just ask and I'll try to reference stuff in the manga and explain my thoughts. I also hate OCs, so almost all the characters used will be characters created by Mineko Ohkami, the exceptions being characters like the diplomats in this chapter, who are fairly unimportant.

I am horrible at updating as anyone who's read my stories should already know, but ideally I would like to update once a month or so.

Finally, I'd just like to share a video I made: http :/ www. youtube. com/ watch? v=T2G0fGHmL9o (copy and paste into browser and remove the spaces)

So, I hope you enjoyed the first chapter and I would be most pleased if you would leave a review!


	2. The Tale of a Thief

Rune sat up straight in his chair, his dinner barely touched as he was struggling to converse with all three diplomats at once. Rath was answering as well as he could, but the men were even getting Rune frustrated. Under the guise of being curious about their neighboring country and the new sovereigns, they were asking questions ranging from general to downright invasive of their privacy.

"So as I understand it, the previous Dragon Lady was barren, was she not? I'm wondering then, how is it you came to be the new ruler, Lord Rath?"

Rath's face was quite a site to behold. He was unable to maintain the perfect picture of benevolence as Lykouleon was so apt to do, but he looked like he was trying not to glare and his eye was faintly twitching. Unnoticed by most of the room's occupants, Cesia squeezed his hand under the table.

He cleared his throat. "Ah. Well, you see. I'm not his son, though he raised me like one more or less. Rather, I'm actually his… illegitimate brother, so to speak."

Inwardly, Rune grimaced at the wording. Thatz was chewing his food nonchalantly, looking entirely unconcerned with the whole affair. The diplomats all tuttered and looked suitably shocked.

"My, you speak quite frankly of such… a delicate matter. What exactly do you mean by 'illegitimate?'"

Rath grinned. "Not to worry, my good men. While I may not have a pure pedigree, I am an entirely suitable, and really the only suitable person to take the position of Dragon Lord."

"Unfortunate, but true." Thatz dropped his fork mid-bite, the only indication that Rune had kicked him under the table.

It was going to be a long meeting…

* * *

Thatz smiled as he casually left the Dragon Castle, glad to be away from that stuffy diplomatic atmosphere. The streets of Draqueen were often crowded and full of busy people off on errands, doing their shopping, socializing with friends and neighbors. It was loud and friendly, he didn't see how these foreign men could find fault with it.

The crowd was so large, few people noticed a small, bedraggled-looking boy in dusty tattered clothing. The boy liked it that way, his light azure eyes scanned the crowds looking for unlucky victims. He spied the White Dragon officer, whose pocket appeared unguarded and he smiled softly to himself before stepping into the flowing crowd himself to follow his target. The boy pulled a worn brown hat down further over his face, covering his not-so-inconspicuous bright blond hair. The green-haired man he was following seemed completely oblivious of him, wandering the streets at a leisurely pace.

It was at that moment that the young boy chose to strike. He began running and let himself collide half-way with the man in front of him, his fingers dipping nimbly into a pocket and pulling out a thick wallet. He muttered "sorry" as an apology for bumping into the taller man and was about to run off with his prize, when he felt himself pulled back suddenly by his collar.

"Hey, where do you think you're going?" asked a voice. It was coming from his prey, who was now peering down at him with a suspicious gaze.

"W-what?" he asked, totally off-guard.

A hand with long, slender fingers and an x-shaped scar on the back released the scruff of his collar, reached out and plucked the leather wallet from where the boy had hidden it in one of his pockets. "You thought I would just let you get away with taking my wallet? What a little pick-pocket!"

The blond-haired boy looked up at him, wide-eyed with surprise. He thought he had been perfect! How did this idiot notice him, let alone catch him? He turned to run, when he felt himself grabbed again. He began struggling to free himself from the surprisingly strong grip Thatz had on him. When that didn't work, he tried different tactics.

Looking up at the green-haired man with large, watery eyes, he said in a small quivery voice, "Please, mister. I was desperate. My little sister's really sick and thought if I only stole, just this once, it would be okay…"

"Ha! A liar too." He began dragging the younger boy down the street with him. The steady tapping of his boots on the cobblestone contrasted with the shuffling, dragging sound of the boy's own cloth shoes.

And now the pick-pocket really started to panic. Where was he taking him? He didn't want to be turned in to the officials! He couldn't! He was too young to be sent to jail for petty crimes! His mind conjured an image of himself sitting forlornly in a dark, barred cell and he started to struggle in earnest.

"Jeez, you sure put up a fuss." Thatz pulled him over across the street to a bar he knew very well and pushed open the door. But why were they here? He found himself shoved onto a wooden stool at the counter. It tipped one way and then the other, clattering as he adjusted his weight on it. "Do you know this kid?" asked the green-haired man to the bartender.

"Ah. Hiren. Yeah, I know him," replied Master's calm voice. "Did he try to steal from you?" At Hiren's guilty expression and the older man's exasperated one, the bartender let out a laugh. "He didn't get away with it, did he Thatz? Wouldn't that be a blow to your pride!"

"No, he did not! I caught him red handed just as he was trying to run away!"

Hiren glanced between the two, confused. "Wait. Master, do you know this guy?"

The white-haired man grinned. "Sure do. Thatz here was born and raised on the streets of Draqueen, same as you. He's an old regular. Been a few years though, now…"

Thatz grinned sheepishly, scratching at his green locks. "Sorry. There's been a lot happening. You know how things get."

The barkeeper smiled. "Well, I would've had to have been blind and deaf to not notice all that has happened recently. I'm sure you were busy."

Hiren sat up, protesting, "But I've never seen him before in my life!"

"I've been traveling," replied Thatz. "But it sure is nice coming back here… Nostalgic, even. Brings back such memories."

"Were you really born here? You're dressed pretty fancy for one of our bunch. And there was a lot of money in that wallet of yours, I could feel it." Hiren was still suspicious of this man. He peered quizzically at the older one dressed in a soft cotton shirt and dark leather pants. He had a pair of fashionable boots on as well. Over it all he had a heavy coat with a high collar that looked like it was probably fitted and made just for him. Then he realized something else… He was missing an arm! The boy's eyes widened slightly in astonishment.

"Yes, Thatz. Have things been going well for you?" asked the Master. "Or have you just been out thieving recently?"

Thatz grinned. "Naw, I don't steal stuff so much anymore. Not respectable, me working for the Dragon Lord and all."

"You work for the Dragon Lord?" exclaimed Hiren. He leaned over on the stool, placing his hands on the edge to steady himself. "But you used to be a thief? I don't get it, why would the Dragon Lord hire a common thief to work for him?"

"I was not just a common thief!" Thatz retorted indignantly. "I was the best thief in all of Draqueen! I probably still would be if Kitchel hadn't decided to 'take up her old hobby' as she put it," he muttered.

"You know Kitchel too, then?" asked Hiren. "Hmm… She told me she worked for Lord Lykouleon, but that was because he needed someone who could steal things for him. Is that what you were hired to do? Did the new Dragon Lord need someone to steal something?"

"Not exactly, no…" He took the Master's offered platter of food and started shoveling food into his mouth.

"Then what do you do?"

There was no answer from either the green-haired man who was in the midst of swallowing a mouthful of rice, or Master, who had preoccupied himself with something in the kitchen.

When Thatz was done, he still didn't give the kid a straight answer. "Just whatever I need to do…" was his quiet reply. He was somber for a moment, but the next he returned to being energetic. "Another helping please!"

He continued eating and Hiren pondered him quietly, a small frown on his young face.

"You know," Thatz said between mouthfuls. "Working for the Dragon Lord ain't all it's cracked up to be. There's a lot of hard work involved and there are often some pretty dangerous risks to the job."

"Do you miss living here then?"

Thatz smiled, but it was a bit sad, a bit nostalgic, as he looked around at the old bar that had been standing in Draqueen for years. "Miss it? Yeah… I suppose I do…"

This place had been his whole world for the first seventeen years of his life, afterall…

_

* * *

_

A young boy, no older than five or six was huddled under the sleeve of his mother's coat. He was a scrawny thing, with a mess of dark green hair and skin tanned and rough from being out and exposed to the elements all the time. His mother was young, probably barely out of her teens, and still beautiful, though her expression was tired and weary.

_They were out on the street, trying to make a bit of money by selling flowers they had picked just outside the city. It was unusual for them to make much money, but it was unseasonably cold, to the point that it had started to snow, and they usually got a bit more out of pity on days like this. The woman was coughing heavily, and had been for weeks now. The boy knew his mother was sick, but what little they made wasn't enough for them to see a doctor._

_After standing outside in the cold for hours, the two headed towards the one place they could seek shelter for just a bit without getting kicked out. The building was neither old nor new, but for all the child knew, the bar had always been there to take in weary workers and travelers who wanted someplace to relax after the day's trials. _

_The two shuffled inside, the bells attached to the door ringing cheerfully at their entrance. The bartender looked up from the two older men he was serving. "Ah, it's you! Come in, come in! It's cold out there. I've got a free table over there in the corner, why don't ya and yer boy have a seat?" The man's sincere smile could be seen beneath his bushy mustache. "Jin? Where are ya, boy?" he called back to the kitchens. "Scrounge up a bit of hot soup for these two, will ya?"_

_The woman pulled her son over to the spot and pulled her coat off, now that she was a tad warmer. Trying to smother her cough with her sleeve, she still smiled gratefully as a blonde teenager set a bowl of soup in front of them. "Thank you," she whispered. Blowing a bit on a steaming spoonful, she took a cautious sip, and deciding that it wasn't too hot, she let her son have his fill._

_The bartender meandered over to the table where they sat. "How are ya doin'? You don't look too good, missy." He said, not unkindly. _

_She smiled, but it was forced. "I've been better," she replied in a quiet voice, before coughing again. "Thank you so much Takafuji. If it wasn't for your kindness, I don't know where Thatz and I would be." She looked down at her son and stroked his head. The boy looked up from his soup at his mother and then at Takafuji._

"_I wish I could do more for ya. It's hard to see ya so sick like this. Hopefully the weather will warm up soon and ya'll start to feel better, eh?"_

_But the weather didn't get better, on the contrary it got considerably worse until finally, out of nowhere, it stopped and warmed again like springtime. But by then the damage had been done. _

_The family of two shared a little lean-to shack hidden in the back of an alley, made up of scraps of wood and fabric and held together with twine and other garbage no one wanted. The young Thatz woke up one morning and peaked outside to warm sunshine and puddles of melting snow. He grinned, delighted, but when he went to get his mother to tell her the good news, that the snow was gone, she didn't wake up. He shook her and called to her until his voice was hoarse. Then he cried._

_Through all their hardships, Thatz had hardly ever cried. When they were sleeping in the streets with barely enough food to survive, he didn't cry. When they were treated badly by someone they asked for money, he didn't cry. When other neighborhood kids made fun of him, he didn't cry. Because he'd always been with his mother, and they had each other. But now, he was all alone._

* * *

Thatz broke away from his memories. He didn't like to think about it too much. He didn't have very many memories of his mother, and he didn't particularly miss her anymore, but it still saddened him to know that she had died. He'd never really been able to talk about it with anyone at the Dragon Castle. He figured it would have upset Lykouleon and Raseleane. It wasn't long after he'd arrived at the castle that he learned the period of cold and snow was caused by the Lord's sorrow after Nadil had stolen Raseleane away. He never held it against the Lord, but he still didn't feel like talking about it.

He decided to think of other things. "Come to think of it, how is Takafuji doing? I haven't had the chance to visit him, is he still enjoying his retirement?"

The blond barkeeper grinned. "Yup, you know how he is. He spends his afternoons with a good book and a glass of wine, the old coot. You should drop by his place later Thatz. I'm sure he'd be glad to know you're doing well."

Hiren looked between the two. "Takafuji? Who's that?"

"He's my uncle and he was the bar master before me. I helped him out around the place until he finally decided he was too old for the job. That's when I took over the place. Did you think I'd been working here forever? I don't stay young forever like the Dragon Clan, you know?" He winked at Thatz.

"Oi, we're not young forever. You're talking like we're vampires or something. We just age differently, that's all," Thatz scoffed.

"Uh-huh, tell that to them." He nodded a group of men who just walked into the bar. "Hey boys, look who decided to stop by."

The first, a dark-haired man, stopped dead in his tracks. "Holy Dusis. Thatz, is that you?"

Thatz's eyes widened. "Asuka?"

The one behind him had a beard and peered around the first man for a better look. "Blimey! If it wasn't for those fancy threads of yours, I'd say you hadn't changed a bit! I guess being part of the Dragon Clan really has it's perks, eh?"

The group came up and started patting Thatz on the back, saying how much they had missed having the troublemaker around, and they convinced Thatz to buy them a round. And he obliged.

Amongst the merry-making, Hiren was starting to feel forgotten. "So Asuka, you know this guy too?"

Asuka grinned and ruffled the kid's hair. He said, "Yeah, back when I had just become a gang leader, I took this guy under my wing. Remember when you first started thieving, Thatz? You were such a scrawny little thing then. But I felt so sorry for you, I just couldn't leave you alone."

"You weren't such hot stuff yourself back then. 'Gang leader?' More like leader of the mischief-making street kids. Your half-assed plans almost got us killed on more than one occasion."

Asuka laughed. "Maybe. We had a helluva good time though, didn't we?"

Thatz grinned and used his good arm to raise his mug in a toast. A good time indeed…

* * *

"_Hey new kid!"_

_Thatz looked up at one of the older boys. _

"_You're gonna be on guard duty tonight. You know the signal to use, right?"_

_He nodded and made a cooing noise like the pigeons that hung around the city. Just this morning they had taught him how to do it, since it was how they alerted each other of danger without giving themselves away. He had just started hanging out with the gang a few days ago. At first, he had been hesitant—he and his mother never stole anything before. But she was gone now and he'd run out of options. Tonight would be the first job he helped with. And by job, he meant heist._

_The sun had set several hours ago. Most of the locals who weren't still at the bars were already at home, getting ready for sleep. The town was quiet. But their group wouldn't be able to rest for a good while yet. For them, the night was just beginning._

_The leader of the gang, Asuka, came over, perhaps sensing his anxiety, and patted him on the shoulder. "Don't worry shorty, you'll do fine." He grinned and walked off. He was only thirteen years old, but he walked with authority. He was in charge of their ragtag group and was the one responsible for bringing them, the outcast kids of society, together. Thatz looked up to him._

"_Alright guys, this is it! Tonight we're sneaking into that stuffy old inn on the main street. They think they're so special and fancy and they don't give a rat's ass about kids like us!" Kids around muttered their agreement and encouraged Asuka to go on. "Well tonight, we're gonna give them a little surprise they won't soon forget! And afterwards, we will eat like kings!" At that more than anything else, the kids cheered. They hadn't had a good meal in days. "Are you ready? Does everybody know their jobs?"_

_They all nodded, quiet once more._

"_Okay! Split up and head towards the inn!"_

_They split into groups and took various routes to their destination. A large group of kids traveling down the street in the middle of the night might arouse suspicion in anyone still out and about. There were nine of them altogether, including Thatz. Two would stay on the street, two just outside of the inn, and the oldest five would do the actual breaking in and stealing. Thatz would be one of the two keeping guard outside of the inn._

_Asuka, another kid whose name he didn't remember, and Thatz all crept down the street. There was no one around, but the street lamps were lit and they moved as quickly and quietly as possible with their bare feet. The main street was just around the corner and a little ways down was the inn._

_Only a few people lingered on the main street. A couple of drunk men tottered past them and another man in a long officer's coat was walking briskly down the street and turned the corner just as they reached the inn. Aside from that, there was no one._

"_Perfect," Asuka whispered. They all ducked into the alley next to the inn. The others were already there waiting. "The officer just passed by. He won't make his rounds back this way for another twenty minutes or so. That should be just enough time. We move now!" In a silent flurry of movement, the kids were off putting their plan into action. Even though they were just kids, they were well organized. Life on the street had taught them to grow up fast._

_Thatz stayed in the alley, where the older kids would be entering the inn from. He watched attentively as Asuka pulled out a long, thin piece of metal and fiddled with one of the windows. After a moment, it popped open with just a squeak of resistance and the group hopped inside._

_Thatz's heart was racing, its beat pounding in his ears. Now that he was alone in the alley, he felt like all of his senses were on high alert. Every gust of the wind, every little noise, every shadow in the darkness had him on edge. But all he could do was wait. Seconds became minutes and the minutes felt like hours…_

_A crash. Coming from within the inn, not outside of it, followed by shouting. Thatz heard the sounds of what sounded like a struggle coming from inside. He was frozen in place until a burlap sack came hurtling out the window, followed by the boys, all carrying bags. One of them shoved a bag into Thatz's hands. It was Asuka, whose eyes were wide with fear, but he was grinning like a fool._

"_Run!" he shouted, and off they raced, down the streets, crossing every which way and taking different routes, just like the way they'd come. Thatz could still hear shouting behind them, men's voices, but he didn't dare look back. He just struggled to keep up with Asuka as they tore through side streets, alleys, around buildings and trash._

_It wasn't until they finally reached their make-shift hideout that he realized how tired he was and he collapsed to the ground, gasping for air. The rest of them, all nine safely back, were in much the same condition. Asuka kept on his feet, but he was leaning heavily on the wall for support, his bag of what Thatz imagined must be the stolen goods was on the ground beside him. The green-haired boy remembered his own bag that he'd been carrying and took a peek inside._

_Apples. Dozens of apples, reddening and nearly ripe. His mouth watered._

"_My friends," Asuka started in a voice still trying to catch his breath. It seemed as though he would make another small speech, like the one from before their heist. But he grinned at them and declared, "We feast!"_

_They set aside the trinkets and money they had taken and tore into the stolen food. Loaves of bread and cheese and fruit. Someone set up a fire to cook some of the meat they had managed to grab into a stew. As Thatz devoured the food, his body worn and tired, he felt like this was the closest thing he had ever felt to heaven. From that day on, his appetite for food and thieving were almost unequalled._

* * *

Thatz smiled. "You guys really were like family to me back then. I don't know what I would've done without you."

"Hey now, don't be getting all sappy and sentimental on us. And what do you mean 'were?' We're still family, ain't we?"

Thatz laughed. "I'll drink to that!" They clinked their mugs together and downed their drinks once more.

Asuka set his mug down with a sigh. "Now then. How about you tell us what you've been up to? How'd you lose your arm? I'm sure that's a story worth telling."

"Oh this?" Thatz rubbed his shoulder with his good hand, feeling the stub of an arm that was left after his battle with Feldelta at the end of their war with the demons. "It's really not such a huge deal. I lost it while fighting a demon when we were under siege. In the end I killed that bastard, but he certainly put up a fight until his last breath."

Hiren looked up at him with wide eyes. "Then you fought in the war?" More and more his respect for this man was growing and he wondered how it was that Master or any of the others hadn't told him about Thatz before. To think he tried to rob him!

One of his buddies patted Thatz on the back. "Of course he fought! He's a Dragon Knight!"

Hiren almost fell off his chair at that and Thatz laughed. "I was. Not anymore, though. There's no longer a need for the Knights since Nadil is gone. I'm the Blue Dragon Officer of Foreign Affairs now."

"What? How did you end up with such a respectable job?"

"Yeah, they should've kicked you out so you could come be a regular bum like us, eh?"

"What, you mean like Kitchel did?"

They laughed again, perhaps having had one too many drinks.

"So where is Kitchel right now? I haven't seen her for a while either."

"Oh, she's around. She just got back into town last night." Master sent him a mischievous glance. "Probably trying to sneak up on her favorite person right about now."

Thatz groaned. "Poor Tetheus."

"What, who's the unlucky fellow?" His friends all crowded around him. "We always used to think you two would end up together. What with the way you guys were always going on."

Thatz raised an eyebrow. "Well we certainly started off with a bang."

_

* * *

_

The Dragon Lord had decided to throw a celebration after the defeat of a demon who had been racing across Dusis and wreaking havoc. Of course, he couldn't fit everyone into his Castle, humongous though it may be, but that didn't stop the rest of the city from celebrating in their own way. Bonfires were lit, food and drink were plentiful, and everyone was out to have a good time.

_Meaning no one would be on guard, expecting a robbery. And the bar master's nephew had tipped him off that there was quite a pretty piece of jewelry hidden away in the home of the local butcher's, and Thatz had never liked him so he felt little remorse stealing from him._

_There was no one hanging around the neighborhood, since they were all out celebrating in the main street and he picked the lock to the front door unseen. He snickered quietly to himself. It was just too easy. He slipped quickly into the master bedroom of the house. According to Master's information, the treasure he was after was hidden in a chest in the closet. It was hard to see in the darkness, but he managed to make out a shape on the floor. The… chest…?_

_It was already opened! He sensed a quick motion behind him and spun around just in time to see the bedroom door slam shut._

"_Dammit!" he cursed. Someone had gotten there before him? While the door slowed him down a fraction, it wasn't locked and he yanked it open and raced out to the front entrance. Whoever it was hadn't bothered closing the front door. How careless._

_Thatz dashed out into the street, spinning about, trying to catch a glimpse of whoever had stolen his treasure. A figure was slipping into a nearby alley. Gotcha, Thatz thought. He sprinted to the alley's entrance and past piles of crates and garbage. His target was in sight, just turning the corner, but he was gaining. He could make out the person's slim figure, now racing through the crowd of a busier street. He made sure not to lose sight of him._

_The crowd was getting thicker and all around him people were dancing, laughing, moving, making it hard for him to run very fast. But he was a thief, one of the best in Draqueen, and he would not be thwarted!_

_He saw the other dash around another corner. Thatz leaped over a fence via a shortcut he knew. He came tearing back out into the crowded street and ran straight into the thief he was chasing. Neither of them were expecting it and the two lost their balance, crashing into a man carrying a crate filled with fireworks of all things, sending him careening into one of the many bonfires, setting off a tremendous explosion of light and sound as the fireworks lit and went off one by one. It served as a great distraction to pull the attention away from the two thieves still lying on the ground._

_Thatz had the smaller guy pinned down and he glared, taking in his oddly large eyes with long eyelashes, flowing chestnut hair, and... boobs? The girl beneath him caught his incredulous stare and grinned. "Like what you see?" she asked with a smirk._

"_You're a girl?" was his intelligent reply._

"_Of course I'm a girl," she answered as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Only a real woman would have need of fine jewelry such as this." She held up the strands of jewels she had taken._

_Thatz snatched it away and she pouted. "This was MY target, thank you very much."_

"_But I stole it first!"_

"_But I caught you!"_

_They stayed there on the ground in a glaring match until Kitchel sighed. "Fine, whatever. Just let me up, will you?" She didn't want any unnecessary attention drawn to them just because they were too stubborn to stand up off the ground._

_Thatz still eyed her suspiciously, but he got up and offered her a hand, slipping the necklace into his pocket._

"_I have to say, I'm impressed. No one's ever managed to catch me before, it's a first! I'm Kitchel. What's your name?"_

"_Thatz," he said warily._

"_Well Thatz, let me offer you a little consolation prize." She leaned forward and kissed him. Quickly, lightly on the lips. The fireworks were still exploding brilliantly in the background behind them. Thatz's cheeks turned a light shade of rose to match. "Maybe I'll see you around!" She waved and disappeared into the crowd with all the stealth of an experienced thief._

"_A consolation prize? What does she mean by…?" He felt around in his pockets and realized they were missing something very important and valuable. He glared after her suddenly, but it was too late; she was already long gone. "You dirty pickpocket!" he screamed at wherever she was now hiding._

* * *

Thatz wore a fond smile as he said his good byes to Master, Asuka, and his new young friend Hiren, who had taken a much greater liking to him after learning more about him. The sky was dark, the moon hidden behind a patch of clouds, and the shadows made by the street lamps were long and dark. But Thatz had nothing to fear. He knew the city at night as well as he did at day, something that few could claim. Yes, this was his city, but it was no longer his home.

With that thought, he turned and strode off into the night, back towards the Dragon Palace.

* * *

Garfakcy sat still in the dark. His yellow eyes, almost too bright a hue for a human such as himself, were fixed on one spot. He couldn't bring himself to move, to stir from where he sat staring, but unseeing. The castle had been dismal lately. More than usual. Ever since Nadil had been defeated and Rath took the throne of Dusis, Kharl had been listless and depressed. It was the worst that Garfakcy had ever seen him, and it made Garfakcy himself rather depressed.

Master Kharl did not often speak about Rath directly. Even after all these years of being together with him, Garfakcy was unsure of exactly what the relationship between Rath and Kharl was, but he knew that Rath was very important to him. And so he knew that his master's despair was probably directly related to Rath.

Garfakcy couldn't bring himself to ask. But he couldn't just do nothing either.

After many long moments, Garfakcy forced himself to move. He slid from his spot, blinked his eyes owlishly in the dark, and pattered away down one of their castle's many hallways. He stopped outside a doorway and was quiet. He listened intently for any sound from within, any sign of stirring. The door was slightly ajar, so he peeked inside.

Within the rooms there was little in the way of furnishings. A small desk with a bit of parchment sat by the window, with nothing but moonlight to illuminate the pages. In the center of the room was a large bed. Sheets and blankets of magnificent silk and cotton flowed over the lump in the center of the mattress. I tangled mess of silvery lavender hair spilled out at the top.

Garfakcy was worried. He had hardly ever seen Kharl sleep before. As a demon, he didn't need much sleep and he was always busy researching or experimenting on something or another. Garfakcy had hardly ever seen his master so still. He didn't like it.

He turned and headed off, back the way he came. His new destination was Kharl's private library. He hadn't bothered going in there much before, and he was sure that his master's lack of any sort of organization would drive him mad, but now he needed to do some research of his own. He was going to help Master Kharl, whether he wanted it or not.

* * *

So, I've actually stuck to my schedule and updated within a month! Hooray! I decided to post this today as a little Valentine's gift to any DK fans actually reading this. The chapter might need a little polishing up, so I may replace the chapter with a more edited version sometime. (Which reminds me: if anyone would be interested in being a beta, it would be much appreciated.)

Anyway, this chapter was focused on Thatz's background. I don't think any of you would recall, but a while ago I had posted the intro to a story called "Paint the Dawn in Shades of Green" which was going to be an entire multi-chapter story about Thatz's past. But I took that down and the intro was edited and used near the beginning of this chapter. Also, once again: any character names (with the exception of Jin, the name I gave Master) are taken from other Mineko Ohkami characters.

So. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, Thatz is honestly one of my favorite characters so I wanted to write more about him. I hope I didn't bore anyone. But the next chapter will go back to the regular plot, so look forward to that.

Reviews and constructive criticism are more than welcome! And Happy Valentine's Day!


	3. A Visit to Her Majesty

Ruwalk was waiting outside the palace for the royal couple to depart. A carriage pulled by a pair of Darna was standing at the ready, because today Ruwalk, Rath, and Cesia, along with a select few dragon fighters, would be traveling to visit Lady Raseleane at the mountain home. The dragon-like creatures harnessed to the front were pawing restlessly at the ground, probably unhappy that they were not lazing about in the stables like the rest of the Darna. Meanwhile, the dragon fighters were gathered next to the carriage, gossiping pointlessly, more like castle maids than soldiers.

"So why are we accompanying their highnesses to the mountains? With Officer Ruwalk present, they should be plenty safe, right?" asked one fighter with shoulder-length hair.

"Everyone knows Mister Ruwalk is probably the weakest of the officers. We're here for backup in case of a demon attack. There are still a few lurking around, angry that their lord was defeated, you know." Another with short, dirty blond hair replied in a whisper, but Ruwalk was still able to hear him perfectly well.

The Yellow Dragon Officer ground his teeth together, ready to bark out an argument as to why he was a perfectly capable fighter, when he was interrupted by the third and more mature of the dragon fighters. The green haired young man whacked his companions in the back of their heads and said, "You idiots. We're only coming as a formality. Everyone knows that if something did actually happen, His Highness Lord Rath is one of the strongest and most capable demon fighters in the land, and we would probably just get in his way. Not to mention Lady Cesia is the best wind sorceress to serve the Dragon Clan since the disappearance of the wind dragon."

Ruwalk's pride was still unavenged, but he decided to let it go, because at that moment Rath and Cesia descended the palace steps. Rath was dressed casually in a long, loose sweater and a pair of black pants with worn leather boots. You would never think he was a king, to look at him. The fanciest thing about him was his long, dangling earrings, since he'd finally convinced Cesia to properly pierce his ears. The Dragon Lady was dressed a bit more properly, in a dress suitable for traveling, which Ruwalk recognized as one of the dresses Lady Raseleane had fixed up for her when Cesia had first come to the castle.

"Shall we be off?" he asked with a small smile.

Rath was glancing off to the side, but Cesia nodded brightly and gingerly accepted Ruwalk's hand as he helped her into the carriage. Rath jumped in on his own, though not ungracefully. Ruwalk gave orders to the Dragon Fighters who would be on top of the carriage, rather than inside of it, so that they could guide the Darnas. Then Ruwalk pulled himself inside as well, sitting across from Rath and Cesia.

The carriage rocked a bit as they started off, a pleasant motion. Rath leaned on his hand and glanced out the window while Cesia and Ruwalk made conversation.

"You've been exchanging letters with Cernozura, right Ruwalk?"

A shade of pink dusted the man's cheeks. "Ah, yes. That's correct. She's been keeping me informed of how they've been settling in and how they've been keeping busy and… such matters."

"Is that so? What has she told you? Lady Raseleane has written to me a few times as well, but you know how she is. Even if she isn't doing well, she would never want to trouble us and would never speak of it in a letter."

Ruwalk nodded. "Yes, I know what you mean. But from what Cernozura has told me, her highness has been doing as well as can be expected. The mountain castle is much smaller and quieter than the Dragon Palace, but I'm sure that suits her just fine. It seems they spend a lot of time sewing and cooking new dishes. I expect she'll have several new outfits for you to try on when we get there."

Cesia giggled. "Oh, I'm sure. She always did love to dress people up."

Ruwalk sighed fondly. "Yes. But still… She probably feels very lonely. She and Lykouleon knew each other since they were children after all. She knew him even longer than I did. And while his death wasn't exactly unexpected, living on without him must be even harder for her than for…" He trailed off.

The conversation suddenly became tense and Cesia didn't know what to say. It was obvious Ruwalk was talking about himself. The Yellow Dragon Officer continued working hard every day with a cheerful smile on his face, so sometimes it was easy to forget how much he had lost. First Alfeegi, then Kaistern had died during the time of Nadil's revival. Then Lykouleon, his king and best friend, had died and Raseleane and Cernozura had left for the mountains. Aside from Tetheus, Ruwalk was one of the oldest members of the Dragon Clan. He, too, was probably very lonely.

Rath, while seemingly absorbed in the scenery outside, had his ear to the whole conversation. "We should get her to teach us how to make that porridge."

Both Cesia and Ruwalk glanced at him with bewildered looks. He turned and smiled innocently. "You remember, right Cesia? I told you how Raseleane made me porridge when I became sick as a kid, but obviously my every attempt to make it so far has not ended well."

The other two occupants of the carriage blanched in recollection. In an attempt to escape the piles of paperwork Rune had given to him, Rath had snuck down to the kitchen to make some porridge after hearing that several dragon fighters had caught colds. The cooks had tried to help him, but he still ended up with a near-deadly concoction which the fighters ate anyway, Rath being the Dragon Lord and all. After that incident, both Cesia and Rune had banned Rath from stepping even one foot into the kitchens. (Though miraculously, all the dragon fighters were perfectly healthy and had not even a sniffle the next day. Rath's porridge became infamous, but no one dared tell him so.)

Ruwalk laughed nervously. "I don't know if that's such a good idea… And why are you so set on porridge? Maybe you should start with something easier. Like toast."

"Toast?" Rath gave him a look that clearly said something along the lines of _Are you stupid? I used to be the Dragon Knight of Fire, you know._

"Let's just wait and see," interjected Cesia. "It wouldn't hurt to ask, at least. But I'm warning you Rath," she glared playfully at her husband, "I will be strictly supervising any cooking you do."

Rath pouted childishly while Cesia sighed exasperatedly at his antics, but on the inside she was smiling fondly. She recognized his comment for what it was, a way to lighten the mood and cheer them up. After the defeat of the Demon Lord, he had matured greatly. He no longer thought only of himself.

The rest of the ride was peaceful. Rath resumed staring out the window and Ruwalk and Cesia turned their conversation back to lighter matters. After an hour or so of uneventful travel, the carriage was pulling up to a grand building surrounded by trees and built into the side of the mountain. It was perhaps one fifth the size of the Dragon Palace, which was still considerably large, but unlike the Dragon Palace which had been rebuilt after the demon attack in a way that represented the knew Dragon Lord, this place had remained unchanged.

It was only two stories high with buildings made of brick and painted in light, neutral shades. The architecture was a mix of medieval and Victorian, with turrets and moldings and a grand set of double doors at the entrance, flagged by stone statues with a small set of stairs leading down to the road. The forest surrounded the estate, trees curving protectively around it, as if guarding the precious person who lived there and was currently standing at the entrance to greet them, along with the former castle administrator. The queen of the past era with her loyal friend.

Once again, Ruwalk extended his hand to help Cesia out of the carriage after it had come to a stop and he, himself had climbed out. The dragon fighters also climbed down from the driver's seat on top of the carriage, uncharacteristically silent in the presence of the former empress. Rath lingered in the carriage for a moment, before climbing out himself, reluctant to let his gaze meet with Raseleane's. But when he finally lifted his head, he was not greeted with any of the sadness or regret with which she had last spoken to him, but with a genuine warmth and a kind smile.

"Welcome," greeted Raseleane. "I'm so glad you've come to visit."

Rath smiled and Ruwalk and Cesia stepped forward. Ruwalk clasped her hand affectionately. "How have you been doing, my Lady? We should have come to visit sooner, but we've been quite busy, as I'm sure you know."

"Of course. I've been quite well. Cernozura and I have been keeping busy with so many little projects. I have some dresses I'd like you to try on Cesia. Oh and just wait until you taste the new cake recipe we've made!"

Cesia giggled. "I'd be delighted."

Ruwalk chuckled as well. "I see some things never change."

"Why don't we continue this conversation in the parlor, my Lady?" suggested Cernozura.

"Ah, of course! Pardon me."

The group made their way into the mansion and were led into a large and well-furnished room. The windows were large and faced the west, allowing afternoon sunlight to pour in with the curtain open and fluttering in a slight breeze. They had just taken seats on the cushy furniture when already a maid came in, pushing a tray of tea and snacks. But it was Cernozura who poured them each a cup of steamy, fragrant tea, and cut them each a slice of cake.

"My Lady and I baked this just this morning, so it's nice and fresh," she was saying. She gave a plate to Ruwalk last and his gaze lingered on her just a moment too long and she blushed. Raseleane and Cesia exchanged glances and grinned knowingly.

"Well, have you settled in comfortably? I haven't been here in years, I hope it didn't need too much fixing up when you arrived."

"Oh no, it was fine. A bit dusty, but just like I remember it." She smiled and turned to Cesia and Rath, who were seated together on a love seat to her left. "Lykouleon and I came here when we were children, you know. This is where we met. There are so many little pieces of that time still left here." She raised her tea cup. "Like this tea set. I remember having tea parties with this in the garden. Poor Lykouleon was forced to eat all my concoctions." She giggled. "For years I'd been wondering where it had gone to, only to find we'd left it behind here." She took a sip and set it down with a clink.

"But thank goodness you did. If you hadn't it probably would have been destroyed by now," commented Ruwalk. "So little remains of the original Dragon Castle."

"And that reminds me," said Cesia. "You said you had some new dresses for me to try on? My wardrobe is so lacking these days, since I lost most of the dresses you gave me before. I've tried making myself some new outfits, but they're nowhere near as lovely as the ones you used to make for me."

"Oh, of course!" She beamed. "In fact, why don't you try them on right now so you can model for us? Cernozura, would you take Cesia to the dressing room?" Cernozura nodded and the two ladies stood to exit the room. "Actually, Ruwalk, could you help them? There are a few boxes that are rather heavy and…"

He glanced at Raseleane, then at Rath, and then to Cernozura who was now waiting for him. Both Ruwalk and Cernozura could guess at Raseleane's true reason for asking this. "Say no more, my lady." He stood and bowed before following after Cernozura and Cesia, closing the door behind him.

This left only Rath and Raseleane together in the parlour. Rath alternated between staring at his tea and glancing up at the former Dragon Empress. He waited for her to break the silence.

"So how have you been, Rath?"

He forced himself to look up and hold her gaze. He should have expected this. "I've been… well. Happy, in fact. Unexpectedly so." But then he glanced away. "I'm sorry."

"For what?"

He took a while to gather his thoughts before he looked back up at her. He wanted to make sure he said this properly. "Because… I have so much happiness right now, while you and many others have lost so much."

"Rath…"

He went on. "I feel… as though I've gained everything I never thought I would have. I always felt like I didn't deserve love or friendship and that in the end I would hurt anyone who entrusted those feelings to me. But now I have friends who support me, a kingdom that depends on me. I have Cesia who loves me." He smiled and she noticed that it was a real smile, not one of the fake ones he used to wear when he was younger. "And I finally feel like I'm capable of living up to those expectations. I feel like I can make others happy. But the price for all this was steep and you and Lykouleon were the ones who paid that price. And that's my fault."

Raseleane closed her eyes for a long moment and sighed. Rath waited patiently for her response and when she finally opened here eyes again, she looked at him steadily and said, "No. None of this is your fault. The only one to blame is Nadil."

"But I—"

She shook her head. "We've always known that to defeat him, great sacrifices would need to be made. Lykouleon was ready for that. But he was worried about you and the kingdom. He didn't know what would happen when he was gone. More than his own death, he was worried about this." A gentle smile formed on her beautiful and ageless face. "I'm happy for you," she said. "Truly. You have finally become able to accept yourself and open your heart to others. You will become a magnificent king. If Lykouleon were still here, I know he would be proud of you. Like I am."

Rath's crimson eyes shone with indescribable emotion. She couldn't have known how much Rath had begun to miss her and Lykouleon. There was no way she could have known how many times Rath had sat at his desk in the office that used to belong to Lykouleon and wish he could ask for advice or wisdom. She couldn't have known. But she still knew exactly what he needed to hear. Because no matter how much he denied it, the royal couple had been the closest thing he had to parents.

Silently, he rose and moved to kneel in front of her. He took her hand, still smooth and young, hiding her age and wisdom, in his own and kissed her knuckle. She laid her other hand on his head and stroked his hair in an affectionate and motherly caress.

"Thank you," he whispered.

"As the burden of darkness has lifted from our world, it has also lifted from your shoulders." She tugged at a string peaking out from under his sweater and pulled until the red jewel of his dragon amulet came into view. She pulled it over his head and took it off. "You no longer have a need of this since you yourself have become the light. Free yourself, Rath Illuser. Free yourself and be happy."

She smiled at him and he curled his fingers around the blood jewel, saying farewell to the darkness that had been inside of him all this time.

There was a knock on the door just then.

Rath hurriedly stood and moved back to his former seat as Raseleane called "Enter!"

Ruwalk and Cernozura slipped inside and Ruwalk announced grandly, "May I present to you, her royal highness, the lovely Lady Cesia!"

With flourish, Ruwalk and Cernozura pulled open the double doors, revealing Cesia with her hair pulled up loosely, so that a few strands hung free and framed her face, just how Rath liked it. A few flower pins kept it in place. Her dress was long and form-fitting, the gathered bustle in back made sure it trailed behind her perfectly, and the bodice was laced up at the sides instead of in the back, as was more typical. The collar came up high on her neck, just showing a bit of her throat. It was a deep green fabric that complimented her eyes. It didn't have as much lace or reveal as much skin as Cesia generally liked, but she looked like an empress.

Raseleane clasped her hands. "I knew that one would look just lovely on you! What do you think, Rath?"

When Cesia turned to look at her husband, she didn't expect the open and wide smile or the admiration in his eyes.

"You look beautiful," he said.

She blushed and smiled more happily than she had since their wedding day.

* * *

Even though the city had been almost completely destroyed a short while ago, the city of Chantel was still bustling as always. Travelers, merchants, fortune tellers, and the like all gathered here to buy and sell goods and information, making it the second largest city in Dragoon, after the capital. This was the reason Gil had come, in order to gather as much information as he could on the situation in Glaciosa, before actually setting foot in the country.

Unfortunately, he had been unlucky so far. Glaciosa was surrounded by water, so it wasn't a convenient country to trade with. Even if one did bother to get a boat across, the people there more or less had everything they needed, so there really wasn't much contact between the countries. This was why the Dragon Clan had yet to confirm any solid information.

He sighed and decided to try asking a fortune teller. His opinion on them was much the same as the general population: the majority were fakes or swindlers. He had never much believed in the practice of fortune-telling until he met Delte. Delte had always been helpful to him. Now that he thought about it, he wondered why he hadn't gone to ask Delte in the first place. Why hadn't Rath or somebody else asked her? She was the castle fortune teller, wasn't she?

He walked along the stalls, trying to find someone who didn't look like a fraud. His shoulder bumped into someone, and he softly apologized. It happened sometimes in crowded areas, especially since he only had one eye. He was going to continue on his way, but then the stranger he bumped into spoke his name, "Gil?"

He turned around. Tall and imposing with his jet black hair and his full uniform on, even though it stood out so obviously in this market area, the Black Dragon Officer Tetheus stood before him with an unreadable expression. Gil returned the stare.

"…You are here on business?"

"Yes, and you?"

"Yes."

Silence reigned between them once again.

In the background, the dragon fighters who had accompanied Tetheus were watching this scene unfold.

("It's a meeting of the two most silent members of the Dragon Clan!"

"More like a meeting of the Dragon Clan's most serious members."

"Hey, if they had a staring contest, who do you think would win?"

"Gil only has one eye anyway, so he has an advantage."

"Really? I would think it's a disadvantage.")

They were ignored as usual. But then they heard a voice that made both of them cringe because they knew it was totally impossible to even attempt to ignore her. Gil sweatdropped as a woman in an indecent amount of clothing appeared from seemingly nowhere and latched on to the black-haired man's arm.

"Tetheeuuuus~!" she cried happily. "I found you~!"

_Oh god, it's Kitchel._

She glanced up. "And Gil! I wasn't expecting to see you here!"

"The thought is mutual," he muttered.

"Orders from the Lord?" asked Tetheus.

"Yes. I'm on my way to inspect the condition of Glaciosa. But what brings you here, Captain?"

"We received a report that someone requested a fortune teller to find information about the Lord."

"I heard about it and told Tetheus," Kitchel grinned, pleased with herself.

"Someone did a fortune for Rath? Is that bad?"

"Not necessarily, but it is a potential security threat."

"Thankfully the fortune teller wasn't able to get any answer," said Kitchel. "I heard she was using a crystal ball and it cracked."

"Ah. Bierrez told me about that," replied Gil. "He has some kind of mental barrier up to keep people from finding out about his past."

Tetheus nodded. "But it would still be good to know who's trying to find out about him and why."

"I'll be on alert for anything suspicious then." He turned to leave. He wasn't particularly eager to stick around for small talk.

"What? Gil, don't you want to join us for lunch? I made a bunch of food, there's more than enough to share!"

At the mention of Kitchel's cooking, all the dragon fighters stiffened. Even Tetheus seemed to go a little pale.

Gil was quick to make his escape. "No, no. That's okay. I want to make it to Costa Rica village by nightfall. Perhaps another time."

She sighed. "Alright then. Travel safe!"

He nodded politely and smiled just a ghost of a smile.

* * *

The sun was setting and they were preparing to leave and return to the Dragon Castle. The dragon fighters who had been resting all day in a separate room were now bickering amongst themselves as they harnessed the Darna to the carriage again.

Cesia was thanking Raseleane and Cernozura for the dresses once more and Rath and Ruwalk were waiting off to the side. Ruwalk was looking at Cernozura again and now even Rath had become aware of the growing affection between the two. Before he had even been able to properly think through it, he found himself asking, "Do you want to stay here?"

"Huh?" was Ruwalk's surprised reply.

Rath glanced sideways at him. "I know it must be hard for you to continue working at the Dragon Castle now that almost everyone you've known has gone. You've done so much for the Dragon Clan. If you perhaps want to step down from the position of Secretary of State… I would understand. " Rath grinned. "And I know you like Cernozura."

Ruwalk was speechless for a moment. Then he snorted. He didn't realize he'd been so obvious. He had to admit, the offer was quite tempting. He'd be lying if he said he didn't get lonely at the palace. He would be very happy to stay in this little paradise and serve his queen, helping out Cernozura. And yet… "Sorry, Rath. You're gonna be stuck with me for a long time. You kids need someone with experience to keep you in check." He winked. "Besides, everyone knows I'm the strongest of the officers. What would you do without me?"

"Stronger than Tetheus?"

"Ha, please! I taught that brick wall everything he knows."

"I'll tell him you said that."

Ruwalk blanched. "You wouldn't really, would you?"

Rath chuckled. "Jokes aside, I'm glad you're willing to stay. I'll be relying on you to guide us in the future."

Ruwalk smiled at his new lord, thinking of a time when Lykouleon had just made him the Yellow Dragon Officer and said something similar. "Yeah. Me too."

"Are you two ready?" Cesia had finished talking to the two older women and was now looking at them expectantly with a basket in her arms. At their questioning glances, she told them, "Cernozura gave these to us for the road. Just some snacks. And she also gave me this." She handed an envelope to Ruwalk and winked.

Ruwalk turned a shade of dark pink and chanced a glance over at Cernozura and Raseleane who were still standing in the doorway to see them off. They waved as Rath, Cesia, and Ruwalk boarded the carriage once again to return to the castle. To return home.

* * *

Ruwalk could remember when he first met Lykouleon as a boy. At the time, he had been training to be a dragon fighter, though he showed no particular skill for fighting. In general, he was often more suited to the role of peacemaker, breaking up fights within his team. It was a complete and total accident that he met Lykouleon when he did.

_He was skipping his swordsmanship practice. He knew that one of the other boys, an aqua-haired kid named Alfeegi, would probably yell at him later, but he really didn't care at the moment. He slipped into the Dragon Castle's huge garden and climbed up into the branches of a tree where he would be hidden from view. He had a book with him and planned to spend his afternoon lost within its pages. But he was barely past the first chapter when he heard voices._

_He stopped reading and paused to listen, peering down through the branches for a better look. A blond haired boy and a girl with long, dark hair were settling down beneath his tree with a picnic basket! He pressed his lips together and tried to make as little noise as possible. He wasn't supposed to be here, afterall._

"_I'm glad you were able to come visit, but are you sure you don't want to go eat inside? You must be tired after your journey and all," said the boy._

_The girl shook her head and gave him a bright smile. "Uh-uh. The palace garden is one of my favorite places. A picnic is a perfect idea!"_

_The boy blushed. "A-ah, is that so?"_

_The girl began pulling various treats out of the basket and laying them out. "So how have you been? Have you had any more adventures? Please tell me! I want to hear all about it!"_

"_Well, uh, ah…. I guess, actually, me and Uncle F—I mean Uncle Fierto and I, we went traveling for a bit. We were incognito and all, so no one would guess our real identities, and then while on our way to…"_

_Ruwalk had stopped listening at the words "Uncle Fierto." If Lord Fierto was this kids uncle, then that meant this kid was the crown prince… Ruwalk had to stop himself from gasping out loud. He was hiding in a tree right above Prince Lykouleon and Princess Raseleane on a picnic!_

_Unfortunately, while he could quiet his mouth and keep still, the scent of delicious food was wafting up to him and he had not yet had lunch. He could only pale as his stomach let out a hungry growl._

_The young couple looked up. "Did you hear a funny noise just now?" asked Raseleane._

_Before Ruwalk could attempt to reveal himself and apologize profusely, the young Lykouleon had sprung up into the tree first. Ruwalk was face to face with a head of blond hair and bright green eyes._

"_Gah!" he yelled in surprise and fell from the tree with all the grace of a falling rock. He landed with a thud, followed by a lighter thunk as his book landed on his head. He rubbed his forehead, but ignored the pain and immediately stood and bowed. "I'm so sorry your majesties! I didn't mean to eavesdrop! I was just in this tree, skipping my swordsmanship practice because I'm a really good-for-nothing dragon fighter and then you came and I didn't know what to do and I was hungry and your food smelled so good, but I know I'm ranting now and really I'm very sorry!"_

_Lykouleon jumped back down beside Raseleane and the two looked at each other, and then at Ruwalk._

"_More than that, are you okay?"_

"_I—what?"_

"_That was quite a fall you took, are you injured anywhere?"_

"_I'm perfectly fine your majesty! Thank you for your concern!"_

"_Just Lykouleon is fine. And I'm glad you're all right. Would you like to join us for lunch?"_

"_Oh yes! Please do!" agreed the princess._

"_I…" Ruwalk looked up at the pair of earnest faces waiting expectantly for his answer, and he couldn't bring himself to decline. "I would be happy to."_

Ruwalk was walking through the garden like he had so long ago. He had returned with Rath and Cesia just a while ago and there was still time before dinner, so he decided to visit the spot where he first met Lykouleon and Raseleane. Much had changed since that innocent time. But that tree was still here. Its branches had been scorched and broken in the attack, but it still stood. New young leaves were starting to unfurl. Ruwalk laid a hand on the rough bark and smiled.

"I may get lonely, but I'm not sad. I will continue to work for the peace that you wanted. I know we'll meet again one day, Lykouleon."

* * *

Some notes: I know I'm a little late with this update, and I apologize. But better late than never, right? I got busy with my midterms. I feel like I finally understand what people talk about when they say they get too busy with schoolwork. I was one of those kids who kinda just breezed through high school. Now that I'm in college, it's like, "Ah! I actually have to go out of my way to study!" XD

This chapter was interesting to write. Especially the scene with Raseleane and Rath. I'm afraid it's entirely my interpretation of how Rath would be feeling, so if you don't agree with my thoughts, I understand. I re-wrote the scene several times, and I'm still not quite satisfied with it. :/ But I wanted he and Raseleane to have more closure than just that short scene from the end of volume 26.

Also Ruwalk and Cernozura. That's another little thing I pulled from the end of volume 26, but I doubt that will show up much more in my story, so if anyone doesn't like it, you won't be seeing much of it. I tried to put more of Ruwalk in this chapter, since he's not a very prominent character. Actually, the flashback I wrote at the end was more or less unplanned, but I felt as though this chapter was not long enough and it seemed to more or less fit in, so I added it.

Finally, from the flashback with Ruwalk, Lykouleon, and Raseleane, it probably makes more sense if you've read "Juuji ni Hikaru Hoshi," but if you haven't, that's okay. All you really need to know is that Lord Fierto was Lykouleon's uncle and it seems to me that he was the previous Dragon Lord, or at least some sort of high-up noble. (I haven't been able to really translate it or anything, so I'm not sure.) Also, Lykouleon and Raseleane became engaged when they were young of their own consent, it was not just an arranged marriage.

Anyway, I'm on spring break now, so I hope to write some more so that I can continue to update regularly. (I'm still looking for a beta if anyone is interested. My writing isn't the best, I know. And there are many little things in the DK series to keep track of.) Please leave me lots of lovely and constructive reviews~! :D


	4. Faerie Forest and Mt Emphaza

The early morning air was chilly and the surrounding plants were still sparkling with the dew from last night. Rune pulled his traveling cloak a little closer around himself. Though it was cold, the sun was just peeking over the treetops surrounding the small road they were on, and would warm them soon enough. It wasn't a well-traveled path, but their journey to the Faerie Forest wouldn't be long, as long as they avoided any detours as Rath and Thatz had been so apt to find. Besides, Rath had allowed their small group to ride the Darna for the journey. The dragon-like creatures were glancing about curiously but otherwise behaving themselves. Rune's own Darnas was currently eyeing a bumblebee that was buzzing around its head. It gave a soft snort when the insect tried to land on its nose. They were really quite remarkable animals. Rune wondered where they came from, though he'd never bothered to ask. They were probably raised exclusively for the Dragon Tribe, since he had never seen their like anywhere else. He kept meaning to find out more about this, he hated being uninformed.

But instead of dwelling on this longer, Rune distracted himself with observing his companions. Lim Kaana was amusing to watch. She had never ridden a Darnas before and was obviously nervous and unsure of herself in the saddle. The reins were clenched tightly in her little fists and Rune could tell she was trying hard not to let on to the fact that she was scared, despite the fact that she was riding the calmest, most gentle Darnas in their stable. The girl had been through so many changes, it was really commendable how well she was dealing with them. Born a faerie, but raised as a demon, just those two conflicting natures would be enough to cause anyone turmoil. But Rune knew that she was a strong and kind-hearted girl, despite the attitude she often had. And she tried very hard. Even the clothes she was wearing now, a lilac dress that went down to her knees with a back that wouldn't constrain her wings, was so different from the outfits she used to wear and showed how much of an effort she was trying to put in to fit in with them.

And to the other side of Rune was his lovely wife, Tintlet. Though Faeries did not have wedding ceremonies the way humans and dragons did, he had been with Tintlet his whole life and couldn't possibly think of her as anything less. It was also her first time riding a Darnas, but she had no trouble getting along with the animal, as expected. No matter the situation, Tintlet could always be calm and understanding. Like the situation with Lim Kaana. They both knew she had feelings for Rune, but neither of them would ever be able to turn her away. Her bright green eyes flickered in his direction and caught his stare. She smiled and he returned it with one of his own. Today her hair was pulled back into a long braid, and someone, probably Cesia, had woven flowers into it. She wore a long silk dress in light blue with a soft shawl draped around her shoulders, and he admired the way it fitted her without being too revealing. Conservative fashions weren't really in style, but he thanked whatever gods there were that Tintlet's style of dress was in no way influenced by Kitchel.

They continued traveling in a peaceful silence. A little after noon, they reached the edge of the forest. The change was subtle, but noticeable. The trees here grew taller, their trunks were wider, giving the impression that this was an old forest, an ancient place filled with wisdom and power. It had to be, as it was also the border between Dragoon and Kainaldia.

Lim Kaana was tilting her head back to look up into the leaves. "Eh…? Somehow it feels different here."

Rune smiled. "So you've noticed? We're at the edge of the forest now. You'll feel it even more the deeper we go."

"Yeah… it's like. The way I felt when I went in the Dragon Castle's great hall all by myself. Right after everything happened, I wanted to go somewhere alone to think. But in a place like that, you aren't really alone. There's a powerful energy. It won't hurt you, but you should respect it."

"The Faerie Tribe is older than both the Dragon Tribe and the Demon Tribe," added Tintlet.

"Huh? Really?"

"No one is really sure how old any of the races are. The Faerie Elder might have known, but he's gone now." She was neither regretful, nor accusatory when she said this; she was merely stating a fact. "They say that the demons were once little more than beasts, but they grew stronger and learned magic, consuming human flesh until they began to take on more human characteristics and became intelligent enough to form a tribe. The Dragon Tribe was formed after the dragons decided to pick partners from the other races and share their powers in order to increase their strength and be able to fight off the demons. But the faeries have always been here for as long as anyone can remember, born from the Forest itself."

"Wow. Did the Faerie Elder tell you all of that?"

"Yes. He was very knowledgeable about many things. He taught us a lot."

Lim Kaana frowned sadly. "I wish I could have known someone like that."

Tintlet smiled at her. "Don't worry. Rune and I are here with you now. We will teach you everything we know."

"Okay. So what exactly am I expected to do in the Faerie Tribe?"

Tintlet looked at her curiously. "Do?"

"Yeah, you know. My duties. In the demon tribe I followed Nadil's orders and knew what was expected of me. But I don't really know what I'm supposed to do as a faerie."

Tintlet tilted her head thoughtfully. "Well… I suppose, the duty of every faerie is the same. We guard the balance of nature. We protect the forests and rivers and keep them healthy. But we don't do it forcefully; our power is not for ambitious purposes. We heal, mend, and care for nature."

"So we're like… gardeners?"

Tintlet laughed, a light sound like a bell. "Yes, I suppose that's one way of putting it."

Rune smiled at their conversation, before urging his Darnas forward. The path swerved abruptly up ahead, continuing in another direction, but this was just a marker for the entrance. The real journey began now. He dismounted and extended a hand to Tintlet to help her do the same. They let the dragon-like beasts graze on the nearby plants. Rune knew none of them were poisonous.

"Is this it, Rune? It certainly doesn't look like the entrance to a Faerie Realm!" Lim Kaana asked, still clinging to the saddle of her Darnas.

He shook his head. "There is a bit more to travel. We don't exactly like to call attention to it, so the entrance is not easy to find, and we will have to continue on foot from here."

"On foot? But…"

"The Darna will be fine," Tintlet said from where she was stroking the neck of her own Darnas. "They know the way home and the road is safe. Don't worry."

"If you says so…" Lim looked unconvinced, but seemed perfectly fine with the idea of not having to ride her Darnas any further. She slid off clumsily and let Rune grab her waist to help her down and stay balanced. "I'll be able to ride well one day," she muttered to herself.

Rune chuckled at her, then unfastened the bridle on his own Darnas and loosened the girth before helping Lim and Tintlet with theirs. "Are we ready, then? It shouldn't be too much farther from here, but there isn't any real path to take, so stick close together." Tintlet and Lim nodded, though Tintlet probably knew this even better than Rune.

The trek through the forest was peaceful. The trees provided a shaded cover, but did not block out the sunlight, giving everything a green, foresty glow. The foliage was plentiful and there really was no clear path, so they all took turns holding branches for the others to pass by. But the trees did not scratch at them and the forest floor was soft with grasses and moss, not muddy or treacherously covered in small stones. And with every hill, the trees seemed to be offering their roots as steps to make the climb just a little easier.

"Many people don't think of the forest as a living thing anymore, but it is," Rune spoke. "For faeries such as ourselves, it will aid us on our way to our destination. But if there are intruders, the forest will do everything in its power to keep those intruders from making it through."

"Eh?" Lim Kaana exclaimed. "Are you saying that the forest is conscious? And like… the trees can move and stuff?"

Rune chuckled and Tintlet let out her tinkling laugh again. "It's probably not quite like what you are thinking of, but in a sense, yes. The forest is just as much a living thing as you and I."

"So it's like a symbiotic relationship, huh?" said Lim Kaana. "The faeries take care of the forest and the forest protects the faeries."

"Yes, precisely," Tintlet smiled.

They continued traveling for some time, Rune making turns at seemingly random points and leading them in different directions. "We're almost there!" Rune announced. "I remember this." Rune hurried forward. He tried not to let it show, but he was excited to be returning to the Faerie Realm after so long. Finally, he stopped and looked up. When the others reached him, they all gathered around, staring up at the large, vine-covered doorway. It hadn't been opened since the time he and Nohiro had gone to find it. Throughout the entire battle, it's location had managed to remain hidden from the demons.

"How did the Demon Tribe never find this? It's huge!"

"Well, like I said, the forest prevents people from getting this far." Rune chuckled nervously. "We don't need to play a flute again, do we?"

Tintlet smiled, amused, and Lim Kaana looked between them in confusion, not understanding the reference. But the blond woman shook her head and stepped forward, not hesitating. Slowly, the vines unraveled and the leaves pulled away so that the doors could open to let them in. They stood in awe for a moment, looking at the enchanting scene before them.

Sunlight streamed down through the gaps in the trees to glint off of the pool of shimmering, water, which flowed lazily in what must have been a wide, shallow stream. It was not more than a few feet deep, and it was so clean and pure that you could easily see to the riverbed of smooth, river-worn stones. The water was passing around the trees, whose roots formed small islands and created calm pools where flowers and reeds grew like small garden beds. Bits of land rose up out of the water at various points, and was covered in lush grass and blooming flowers. The occasional leaf or flower would be caught in the lazy stream and drift along, a little boat on a vast, calm sea. But the most remarkable part was the flurry of small glowing lights, hovering about the plants, over the water, and gathered in the trees. Little water lights.

Rune breathed in a deep breath. "It's been so long since I've been able to return here. I've missed this place dearly."

Tintlet placed a hand on his shoulder. "But now we've come back."

"Yes."

The water lights had begun to take notice of them and were now fluttering towards them, a hum of wings and high-pitched voices.

"Lord Rune! Lady Tintlet!"

"Lady Tintlet and Lord Rune have returned!"

"Hooray! You're back!"

The small beings gathered around and perched upon their shoulders, hovered around their heads, and peered curiously at Lim Kaana. One of the little faeries discovered the wings on Lim Kaana's back. "Oh! She's one of us! Hello!"

Lim Kaana was panicking as more started to come investigate and say hello. "Eek, Rune! What do I do?" She was looking around at all the little faces peering up at her questioningly, not sure which one to respond to first.

"Calm down, all of you! Why don't we all take a seat and I'll explain everything in due time."

So they did. The group sat gathered on the large roots of a nearby tree, with the little faeries gathered around in great excitement, wanting to hear the tale of their Prince and Princess's journey. When they were all settled comfortably, Rune took a deep breath and began to recount his journey. Rune told them all about his adventures as a Dragon Knight, and how he traveled to Kainaldia with the other Knights. Then he talked about how he discovered Tintlet and how they met Lim Kaana, and she joined their cause. The little water lights were shocked when they heard about how Lim Kaana was actually a demon before, but then many of them started to cry and float over to sit by her fondly when they heard about what she went through. Lim blushed under all the attention, and her wings fluttered in embarrassment. Rune smiled. Sitting like this with all the innocent little faeries made him feel very nostalgic.

Rune was about to then tell them about how they discovered that Sabel was actually the Water Dragon Knight, when he paused in realization. "That's right… where's Sabel? He's here somewhere, isn't he?"

"He's meditating," a little faerie answered, a boy with a head of messy red hair. "He should return here soon."

"I will go to find him," said Tintlet. She rose and stepped lightly into the shallow water, her dress drifting around her elegantly, like a flower. She wandered off amongst the trees and Rune was about to return to regaling the faeries with tales of his adventures, but another faerie interrupted him.

"By the way Mr. Rune, there are more visitors here than just you and your friends."

"Eh? Who?"

* * *

Gil adjusted the light pack of travel gear over his shoulder as he gazed up at Mt. Emphaza with his single golden eye. He had traveled to various towns in the country and paid a visit to the capitol of the small country of Glaciosa, to formally announce himself as a messenger from the Dragon Lord, offering aid if any was needed. Fortunately, the country had not suffered too badly at all. The worst had been the earthquake during the climax of the final battle, but they were more or less spared from any demon attacks or other sorts of major damage. Gil was relieved to hear it, and the country officials asked him to thank the Dragon Lord on their behalf. He recalled how he was also to pass on a message of congratulations to the new royal couple and an open invitation to come visit Glaciosa anytime. They were much more cordial than many bureaucrats he had dealt with lately and Gil was grateful for it.

But now that his official business was finished, he began to head for what was probably the real reason he had agreed to come. Passing through the town of Yuba at the foot of the mountain had been more than a hassle. His exotic looks were well-remembered by the people there, and the moment he was recognized, they all seized upon him for information. Many asked him where he had been and if he brought news from outside the country. Some inquired about Barl, which concerned him. If the villagers did not know how Barl was faring, it might not bode well. The purple-haired man tried to answer as many of the villagers' questions as he could, but even when he had lived here, he was not accustomed to dealing with large groups of people. The women grabbed at his arms and tried to pull him along with them and the men tried to encourage him to have a talk over a drink in the bar. Gil declined their invitations as politely as possible, citing worry for Barl as his reason for leaving. But now that he had left, staring up at the mountain trail before him, he was scared of what he might find.

The trail was just as he remembered it. Stony, full of ups and downs and unexpected drops. The vegetation was scarce, with groups of evergreen trees growing in clumps all year round and other more seasonal plants blooming around them. It was a nostalgic path. He had taken it so many times before, and knew the best ways to go and just which spots to avoid. He could almost pretend nothing had ever happened and he was just making another grocery run for his brother. So lost in thought was he, that he barely even realized it when he'd reached the inn. It stood before him as it always had, a small wooden lodging up in the mountain, so out of the way that they barely got any customers. But it looked well-maintained. The porch was swept, the windows clean, and the lantern hanging in front was already lit, now that the sun was beginning to set. This gave him hope.

He walked hesitantly to the front door, his footsteps crunching loudly in the gravel. When he knocked, it was soft at first. Then louder, more sure. The door opened immediately.

The look of shock on Barl's face must have matched Gil's own. "It can't be…" Barl whispered. He looked older than Gil remembered. Though his brother was still human, and it could be expected, it still seemed more severe than what he was expecting. Barl was thin and his cheeks looked almost hollow. Though his clothes were clean and neat, they hung off of his frame and made him look smaller. His face was the most shocking to Gil. His mouth, which was normally always turned up in a kind smile, was thin and open in disbelief. His eyes were weary, a hazel color that used to shine as brightly as Gil's, but were now dull and they blinked through a swirl of different emotions.

Neither of them said anything for a long time. Finally, Barl tugged Gil forward and pulled him into a hug. Everything else about Barl had changed, but his hug felt the same; it was warm and reassuring, and Gil felt himself returning it hestitantly.

"I thought you were dead," he whispered. "I'm so glad you're okay."

"I'm alive," was Gil's reply. "I've missed you, brother."

* * *

Sabel was tranquil and at peace, letting his fingers run through the water as it drifted past him. He'd always wondered what it was about water that drew him to it. Even when he was a demon, he had had an affinity for water. He admired it, its versatility. It could be so refreshing, and soothing. It could give life. But it could also be terrible and destructive, swift and powerful. There was nothing else like it. He pulled his hand up and watched as each crystalline drop fell from his hand to return to the body of water it came from. Just a while ago, he never would have guessed that he was a faerie, let alone the Water Dragon Knight. But now that all the pieces had come together, it made perfect sense.

He leaned down, lying across the branch that reached out over the water's surface, some of his hair falling forward in front of his face. His hair had grown out. Once it had been shoulder length, but now it was at a length to rival Rune's and he kept it tied back in a loose braid. His clothes were also much simpler than what he used to wear. And he hardly ever bothered with shoes anymore. Indeed, his whole life style was completely different, and he couldn't say he disliked the changes. Probably the only thing about his demon life he did miss was Garaba. There really is nothing like flying around on a giant golden fish, afterall.

"So here you are," said a gentle voice.

He glanced up. Long locks of braided silvery blond hair was trailing through the water, leading up to a face smiling down at him in what could be slight amusement. It was that princess. He'd never talked to her much, before or after he became a part of the Faerie Tribe again.

"So you've returned here, huh?" he asked. "And probably with that blond guy, Rune, too."

"Yes, we've just arrived."

He made a little sigh. "So? What brings you here?"

"Well, I am one of the Faerie Tribe after all. It's my home. I couldn't stay away for too long."

"I suppose I must concede to that. Are you staying for good, then? What about your boyfriend? Rune isn't needed by the Dragon Tribe anymore?"

"No, I will be staying of course, but I'm sure he will be returning to the Dragon Castle before long. He still has his duties as the White Dragon Officer. But this is his home too, and I will welcome him here whenever he returns, for however long or short that may be."

Sabel made a face. "You are certainly very accepting of all this. Aren't you going to miss him when he's away?"

Tintlet blinked. "Well, of course I'm going to miss him. But I would never want to get in the way of his job. It's very important. I understand that. So I don't mind."

"God, you're so pure!" Sabel exclaimed, exasperated. When all Tintlet did was tilt her head in confusion, he elaborated, "Sure, he's an important guy and I'm sure the stuff he does with the Dragon Tribe is a big deal and all that, but aren't you two married or something? Lovers? Aren't you even just a little bit upset that you don't get to spend time with him? Don't you get lonely? Or something? If it were me, and my husband was always away for work, I'd be pissed. Be selfish every once in a while, make him stay. I'm sure if it's you asking, no one will mind."

When Sabel looked back up, Tintlet's head was bowed. Her hair fell in front of her face, blocking her expression from his view.

"Oi, you—"

She looked back up, and this time her smile was forced. "Of course I get lonely. I miss him, I wonder what he's doing, whether he's alright. I want to be with him, I love him," she whispered. "But I can't get in his way, I couldn't possibly!" A tear began to roll down her cheek and she was quick to brush it away with her hand. Sabel tried to speak, but she shook her head, her hair swishing back and forth. "But I've gotten off track," she said, straightening. "I wanted to ask you how've you settled in here. Has it changed since you were last here? Are you happy?"

Sabel frowned. Just dropping the matter like that, especially when he was the one who brought it up, didn't sit well with him. But he supposed it was none of his business, so instead he answered. "I'm just fine. I prefer to be left alone, but the water lights are just too friendly for their own good." He smiled rather fondly. "That hasn't changed. In fact, there is very little about this place that has changed. It's nice."

"Well that's good. You seem much more relaxed now."

"Of course. Anyone would be stressed if they'd had I job like mine. Collector of corpses! I enjoyed it though. I think." He glanced over at her. "To be honest, a lot of the details of my memory from when I was a demon are a bit hazy, but I suppose that's a good thing. It wasn't the most pleasant of times."

"I can't even imagine what it must have been like," Tintlet agreed sadly. She decided to change the subject. "Would you care to come greet the others? Rune must still be telling them about his time as a Dragon Knight."

Sabel rolled his eyes. "I suppose I will honor them with a brief visit."

"Lim Kaana will probably be happy to see another familiar face as well."

"That girl's here?" exclaimed the former demon. "Good grief, there goes my peace and quiet…"

* * *

The mountain, so warm during the day as the sun shone down on it, became chillingly cold at night. Gil sat awkwardly at the old wooden table with a familiar cup of warm milfy in his hands. He took a sip every now and then, warming himself. Barl sat across from him with his own mug. Freshly made, with a potful still sitting over a small fire to keep it warm, he never got to enjoy this small comfort in the Dragon Tribe. It was nostalgic. He wished he could pretend that none of those horrible things had happened, that it was all a horrible dream. But there was a certain presence missing from the inn. A cheerful warmth, childish laughter, the smile of a young girl whom they would never see again…

"I killed her." He didn't need to elaborate. They both knew who he was talking about.

"I know."

The silence between them spoke volumes. Neither of them knew what to say. Gil was afraid to look Barl in the eye, but when he finally glanced up, he found that he couldn't avoid it. Barl was his brother, even after all that had happened. His precious brother who had always been there for him, during the hardest and most confusing parts of his life.

Gil took a deep breath. "Barl… I'm so sorry. You will never know how sorry I am. Back then I was selfish, and I never told you the full truth. I didn't even know the full truth myself, but that's no excuse. I was the one-eyed demon. I killed Fiji. She tried to stop me from hurting any more people and I killed her." The moment Gil started talking, he knew he couldn't stop until he'd said everything he needed to say. Telling him all this was like tearing down the wall he had built up around himself after he'd been revived. He crumpled, holding his face in his hands. His fingers brushed over the scar that sealed his eye shut, a constant reminder of the demon he used to be. "I know I don't deserve your forgiveness, and I won't ask for it. But please know that I loved her, and I would take it all back if I could."

"Gil." A pained golden eye peered up at his brother. "I forgive you." That single eye widened in surprise and… hope.

"But I—"

"I already knew. And I forgave you long ago." Barl smiled. "After all, you're my precious older brother. I look up to you still. But I would just like to know… If you are willing to tell me, that is, I want to know everything that's happened. I thought you died that night, after you… And that demon-slayer, he returned here, saying he'd killed you. I assumed the worst."

"Yes," sighed Gil. "Yes, he killed me. But I wasn't dead, exactly. It's hard to explain, and it's a very long story."

"I have lots of time and we have plenty of milfy to keep us warm," Barl gave a small, encouraging smile.

Gil paused for a long while, collecting his thoughts. "Where to begin…"

"How about when you became a demon?"

"Those memories aren't very clear, but I'll try my best… I know that I was turned into a demon by the Kharl, the Renkin Wizard. After that, he sold me to the Demon Army, and they placed various spells on me. The form of the one-eyed demon who guarded this mountain was not my true demon form, but a result of the spells cast on me. After I transformed, I had no memory of doing so. It was as if the demon was a separate entity entirely who borrowed my body to reek havoc. And in the end, the cave I was guarding, didn't even have anything worth guarding in it." He chuckled forlornly. "When Rath—that demon-hunter came, that was the end. He was a Dragon Knight, you know. It was also when I really started to realize that something was wrong. One night, Fiji saw me transform and then…" Gil trailed off. His throat was tight, and he didn't even know if he could finish telling this part. But Barl was waiting patiently. "I was fighting Rath. I was winning, and about to kill them. I would have killed them, but Fiji jumped in the way. She tried to make me remember who I was, so that we could go back to being a family again. And it worked… It worked, but only after I had killed her!"

Gil's fists were trembling. Barl reached over and took his hands comfortingly. "And then?"

"Shyrendora's spell—she was one of the demon's controlling me—was broken and I wasn't as strong as before. I fought Rath again, but I was easily defeated. He killed me, but it wasn't… I was destroyed, but Rath absorbed the pieces of me that were left in order to strengthen his own power. Because you know," Gil smiled ironically, "before I became a demon, I was supposed to have been the Dragon Knight of Fire. So I suppose my soul was compatible with his, or something along those lines. But that was how I lived on.

"I'm not sure how much news has reached you, but Nadil's demon army attacked the Dragon Clan." He described the situation the Dragon Tribe faced and how the Dragon Lord was injured and the Knights were sent to Kainaldia. He told Barl of all their adventures as best as he could, not actually having witnessed any of it firsthand. But finally, he reached the part of his explanation where Rath was killed and then brought back to life. "Cesia, the wind sorceress, used one of the three treasures and her sacred wind staff to restore Rath back to life, but she also restored the souls that he had absorbed—myself and one other, who is now the Red Dragon Officer. It's very complex magic, and I've never heard of it being achieved before. But I was brought back to life as the Fire Dragon Knight and together, we somehow managed to defeat the Demon Lord Nadil. Or, I suppose it's more accurate to say that Rath and Cesia defeated the Demon Lord, with help from all of us. Though unfortunately, Lykouleon was also killed. Now Rath is the new Dragon Lord, believe it or not, and Cesia is his Queen. After that battle, the world has more or less become peaceful again, and I am no longer an active Dragon Knight of Fire, but I am still a part of the Dragon Clan. We have all been very busy, offering aide to the people and trying to recover from the terrible battle we faced."

"You are a part of the Dragon Clan now?" asked his brother.

Gil nodded.

"And are you happy there?"

Gil paused again. It was hard to say if he was really happy. The people there were so strange. There were dragons and demons and faeries and humans all living together. But they were all kind to him. Being around Rath could be awkward, and he didn't talk much to Thatz or Rune. But Tintlet, Lim Kaana, and dare he say, Kitchel had all been very friendly towards him. And they were always trying to get him to let them do his hair. Then of course, there was Bierrez, who was probably the closest thing he had ever had to a best friend. They could talk to each other, they had an understanding. Yes, when he thought about it… "I am quite happy there. They're my friends. And I can help people there."

Barl smiled. "I am glad to hear it then."

* * *

Well, it's quite late isn't it? I'm so sorry. Now that it's summer, I can only hope the updates will come faster. A quick note, I changed a small detail in the last chapter-I changed a bit of the story from Raseleane saying that the mansion was where she and Lykouleon spent their honeymoon to it being where they met. I was able to translate "Juuji ni Hikaru Hoshi" and I realized that the place in the mountains was probably referring to the same place that story happened. So I just wanted to make that more accurate.

Belatedly, I also realized that even just the first three chapters of this story have already become longer than anything I've ever posted before, and I've posted stories with as many as nine chapters before, so I was rather surprised. It's a good surprised, though. I guess my standards have risen a bit. Also, I was wondering-what's your opinion on the spelling of Darnas/Darna? I'm sure if I look through the manga, I could find out, but for now I have it spelled as Darnas when it's just one and Darna for plural. It might be wrong though.

Anyway. I'd be very pleased if you guys would review and leave me some feedback. It's so encouraging to know people are still reading DK fanfics. :D


	5. Of Discussions and Foreshadowing

"Hey, hurry up! We need to finish cleaning the windows before lunch time!" Long skirts of dark fabric rustled as a group of castle maids ran ahead, their arms laden with sponges and rags.

"Ah, yes! I'm coming!" called Pyore. The small dark-haired girl had a bucket of sudsy water by the handle, and it was taking all her concentration to walk without spilling any on the pristine tiled floor of one of the Dragon Castle's many hallways. It seemed like so long ago that she was living with her mother and father in the small, but comfortable Costa Rica village. Some days she thought of them in heaven or wherever they were now, but she didn't miss them. Not too much, anyway. Her life as a Dragon Castle maid was so lively, sometimes it was hard to find any time to think about her family, let alone miss them.

Today the maids were heading outside to clean the windows, and they had all been looking forward to it; it was one of the few tasks in the dragon castle where they got to work outside for any long period of time. And the weather that day was perfect. Pyore slowed as she came to the door leading outside, mercifully left open, yet the exit had five steps before it reached the ground level. Not a bother usually, but quite troublesome when hefting a bucket of water.

"Hey, Pyore! Need some help with that?" An arm appeared in her field of vision suddenly and easily lifted the bucket she'd been struggling with. She looked up at her savior.

"Thatz!" The aforementioned man grinned and continued outside with the maid in tow. "I didn't see you there! I'm sorry to trouble you!"

"It's fine, it's fine! Anything for one of the ladies who helps make such delicious meals!" he exclaimed. "So where are you headed with this?"

"To the side windows, but… Ah, no, it's fine! I can take it the rest of the way! I shouldn't ask a Dragon Officer to help me, I'm sure you're very busy!" she protested as he continued around the castle building. Already the other maids were in sight and Thatz headed in their direction.

"Actually, no. I've really been quite at leisure since I got back. I wrote up my report for Rune and haven't had a thing to do since! I've got a converence to go to soon, but this morning I slept in for the first time in ages! I felt like a king!" he laughed.

Pyore giggled. "It's good that you've had some time off. Everyone's been so busy these past few months."

"You can say that again. I know the maids have been working just as hard. How have you been doing? Are you getting along well in the Dragon Castle? You could probably return to Costa Rica village now, if you wanted. I only passed through there recently, but it looks like they've got everything fixed up and going well."

"I suppose I could return, but…" She smiled a bit sadly. "I don't think there would be any point. Almost everyone I knew there is gone. I've got friends here at the Dragon Castle, and a good job! It's hard work sometimes, but it's very rewarding to know that I'm a help to you and the others! I'm so grateful to you and Rath and Rune, for everything you've done. Truly." She smiled up at him. "I don't plan to leave anytime soon, so it looks like you're stuck with me."

"Is that so? I'm glad to hear it." Thatz grinned at her, but said no more. It had surely been tough on her, losing her family and friends, but she was a strong girl. His sympathy would be wasted on her. At any rate, they finally reached the spot where the group of women in aprons were working. As Thatz approached, they all bowed and greeted him. "No need to be so formal, I know you guys are hard at work and I'm just in the way! Thanks for keeping the castle so sparkly clean all the time!" He set down the bucket and paused to give Pyore a pat on the head. If she weren't wearing her bonnet, he probably would've ruffled her hair. "I'll see you around, Pyore!" The maids all respectfully bowed again as he left, his long legs taking him quickly back around the building and out of sight.

But the moment they were sure he was out of earshot, they gathered excitedly around Pyore. "Oh, you're so lucky to be familiar with the Blue Dragon Officer! Sir Thatz is so handsome!"

"And he's so strong too! Did you see how he carried the bucket with one hand, like it was nothing?"

"Of course he's strong! Especially his arm! He lost his other arm in a battle against a fierce demon, you know!"

"He's so cool! Pyore, what were you two talking about?"

The girl tried to calm down her excitable friends. She waved her hands nervously in front of her. "He just asked me how I was doing and said he was grateful for all the work the maids do! Stuff like that. Honestly, what were you expecting?"

"Eh, I guess that's true," muttered the girl to Pyore's left. The group of girls broke the circle they'd formed around Pyore and reluctantly got back to work. With sleeves rolled up, they took turns dunking their sponges and rags into the soapy water and scrubbing the glass windows. They even took the luxury of slipping their shoes off and letting their toes sink into the soft grass. But of course, they still continued their constant gossip.

"But he seems like a really reliable man! Though everyone is always saying otherwise. Especially Miss Kitchel!"

"It's just because they're childhood friends. And personally, I think they might have been something more," whispered another girl. "People always tease the person they like."

"Really? But Miss Kitchel is so attached to Sir Tetheus!"

"And what an odd couple they make. I'm still not sure whether Tetheus actually likes her, or if he just can't say no. Though I can't imagine he would have any trouble making her leave if he wanted to. Frankly, he scares me a little."

"Mmhmm! If I had to pick, I'd say Sir Gil is the most attractive! I've never seen dark skin like his before! He's so mysterious, you know? He's quiet and hard to approach, but somehow that just makes me even more curious about him! And Officer Rune is second, but he's so beautiful, one could easily mistake him for a woman! I wonder if all men from the Faerie Tribe are like that? Sir Rune is the only man I've seen—aside from Ringleys, but I don't think I would count him…"

"What about the Water Dragon Knight? Sabel?"

"I've never met him, but I did hear he was also quite feminine."

"I think Officer Bierrez is really handsome," the pudgy one chimed in. "He's a little rough around the edges, but bad boys are definitely the best!"

"But I hear Officer Bierrez has feelings for the Queen! Though his chances of winning her heart might as well be zero," another spoke up. "The Dragon Lord seems so mature and elegant. If I were his wife, I'd never even look at another man."

"And Lady Cesia herself is so lovely! I can see why he loves her, they're such a wonderful couple!"

"Why is it that all of our Superiors are so good-looking? In comparison to them, the Dragon Fighters are..." She trailed off and they all glanced in the direction of the Fighter's Guild, where they could hear the clang of swords clashing and men yelling, and the sounds of something smashing and breaking during the soldiers' training, followed by more angry shouts. All the maids sighed in unison. After a while they all settled back into their work, moving on to a discussion of the recent visitors to the castle and how rude they were to their Lord.

Pyore dunked her sponge into the soapy water again, wringing out the excess suds. She smiled at her friends, knowing she meant every word of what she said to Thatz earlier. It was hard work and the other maids could be a little crazy, but everyday was fun and rewarding. This was her home now, and the Dragon Clan was her family, for better or worse.

* * *

Late morning sunshine shone off of the polished wooden table. It lit up the whole room, turning the off-white marble a peachy-orange color. It was Delte's favorite time of day. The sun was not yet at it's peak, yet it was still so bright. Natural light was always best, she disliked doing anything by firelight. One of the many reasons she didn't like the night time.

Delte sipped calmly at her cup of tea and then set it aside. It made a light clink as it was set down in the saucer, the only noise in the large sitting room in which she was the sole occupant. Then she turned her attention to her cards. She hadn't used them for anything other than the few times she was performing her duties as the castle fortune-teller, and she had gotten caught up in helping manage the castle's affairs now that Cernozura was gone. But finally she had a free moment and all this time there was still something bugging her, a question that wouldn't leave her alone. It was a matter that she had put aside during the battle with Nadil, but it had been left unresolved for far too long. The One-Winged Angel.

There were so many mysteries surrounding the mysterious figure, a demon alchemist from Arinas named Kharl. Delte herself knew very little about the Eastern Continent. It was already little more than a myth when she was born, the land filled with nothing but death and demons. Faeries stayed away from it. That was all the Faerie Elder told them. Though she knew from what Tintlet had recounted to her that a boy named Nohiro had freed the spirit of Arinas's king, which Kharl had sealed within his castle so that the kingdom could not be rebuilt. But how did the King's spirit get sealed by Kharl in the first place? Perhaps it had been done long ago and Kharl was simply guarding it? She didn't know. And then there was that human boy who had attacked her, the one who used weapons made from ash. Who was that boy? She had never seen such a blood-thirsty look in the eyes of a human. For what purpose was he serving a demon and why did they need to kill so many faeries? The more she thought about it, the more questions she came up with. What she needed were answers.

She gathered her deck of cards, worn down from use and care, and began to shuffle them. She enjoyed the feeling of all the cards moving through her fingers, she found it very relaxing. It was like holding all the questions and answers and feelings of the world and sorting them out in her own hands. It was meditative. It allowed her to concentrate on what she wanted to find, before she laid out the spread. Finally, she straightened her deck into a single pile and reached for her first card—

"Delte! Here you are, I've been looking all over for you!" a small voice cried out.

Her head jerked up in surprise and her hand stopped, resting lightly on the deck. "Ringleys! I thought you went with Rune and the others back to the Faerie Forest!"

The little faerie stopped and hovered mid-air over the table. "Oh, I'm sorry. Were you in the middle of a reading?"

"I hadn't even started yet, I was just finishing my tea. Don't worry about it." She pushed the tarot deck away and reached for her tea again, taking a sip to support her statement.

"Oh, well I decided not to return quite yet," he said in response to her earlier question. "Rune did ask me to come with them, but I declined. Besides, someone needs to keep you company while they're away!" He beamed at her.

She smiled back. "Thank you, Ringleys. You really didn't need to. I'm doing fine here. Even before Nadil's attack, I had decided to live outside of the Faerie Forest and that decision hasn't changed. I like it here in the Dragon Castle, I feel more useful."

"Ah, that's right… You were living in Chantel before. If you don't mind me asking, why did you choose to leave the forest?"

Delte rested her head in her hands and contemplated a moment. "Hmm… I guess, because I could do what others in the Faerie Tribe could not. When I became strong enough to take on a human appearance and I developed my divination abilities, I thought it would be more beneficial if I could go out into the outside world on behalf of our tribe. There are many faeries with healing abilities and there are many human fortune-tellers. However, I am the only Faerie Fortune-teller. I thought I should make full use of that ability, and I couldn't do that in the Faerie Forest. Though I admit, I never thought I would come to work for the Dragon Tribe. It's quite an honor."

Ringleys nodded seriously. "I see. That makes sense. Doing what only you can do."

"How about you? Why did you leave the forest?"

"Well, it wasn't for such selfless reasons as you have. I used to live on the edge of the forest with my friends. One day I went off by myself and when I came back…" The little faerie's face darkened, his brows furrowed in anger. It reminded Delte that Ringleys was not as young and innocent as he looked. "Everyone was gone," he whispered. "It was the One-Winged Angel that got them." Delte flinched at the name, but it went thankfully unnoticed by the smaller one of the two. "I didn't know what to do. I couldn't find anyone and I was so scared that I ran away. Of course, I didn't have anywhere to go and then that's when I got captured by the demon Ekidonna who wanted to keep me like some kind of rare treasure or something. I wasn't captive for long when Thatz saved me and then I helped them find the Three Treasures. I think you already know the rest." The faerie boy shrugged.

"I heard it from Thatz. He's saved a lot of people, hasn't he?"

"Yeah," Ringleys agreed. "I think a lot of people don't really give him the credit he deserves because of his easy-going attitude, but he actually cares a lot and always does what he thinks is right, don't you think? Most of the older members of the Dragon Tribe still think of him as lazy and gluttonous, but I've noticed that it's been a long time since he really got side-tracked from his job by food or a treasure. Though he does still eat a lot."

"It's because he has something that he cares about more than gold or money or food. It's his friends and family here. I don't think he would admit this willingly, but before he came to the Dragon Tribe, he lived on the streets and could only really depend on himself. I'm sure he was lonely." Delte folded her hands together and rested them on the table as she thought about the former-Dragon Knight's past. "There was no one that really cared about him and no one for him to care about. More than that, probably just living was hard, he never knew when he'd get his next meal or if he'd have money for things that he needed, so those things became his obsession. When he first came here, he couldn't trust the others so easily, and his habit of giving priority to treasure and food stuck with him. And that was how people around him came to think of him. But now he's learned to rely on the others and he doesn't have to worry about that anymore. Now his greatest priority is protecting his family."

"Wow… Did Thatz tell you all that, Delte?" Ringleys had settled himself on the edge of the table with his wings folded neatly behind him. He was looking up at Delte with curiosity.

The fortune-teller blushed and looked away. "Well, actually no… I did a reading on him. I was curious, since I knew about Rath and Rune, but not Thatz…"

"Hmm, you learned all that from your cards, huh? You can really find out a lot with them, huh?"

"Well, it helps if I know a bit about what I'm asking about already. Then I just put the pieces of information together. Truthfully, I wasn't sure my reading was right at first. The Thatz that I know now is always so selfless and cheerful, it's hard to believe he had such a hard childhood."

Ringleys laughed. "But he's got the scars to prove it, doesn't he? But come to think of it, there's actually a lot we don't know about the members of the Dragon Tribe. Out of all the officers, Ruwalk was the only one born a dragon, right? Tetheus and Bierrez were both demons before they joined the tribe. I've always been really curious about Tetheus, but he's so hard to talk to that I never really got up the courage to ask. And I've heard that Bierrez was a rogue demon even before he joined the tribe! Though even if I did manage to ask him about it, I doubt he'd tell me the details, huh? He seems like a gruff person."

"Bierrez? He acts tough, but he's actually a nice guy." She picked up her teacup and drank down the last bit at the bottom. It was bitter and not as warm as she would have liked. "Though I say that, I'm not exactly comfortable around him myself."

Ringleys giggled. "I like Gil though. He's quiet, but different from how Tetheus is quiet. He's shy and gentle."

"That reminds me. You were going to help him get his memories back, weren't you?" asked Delte.

"Ah, yeah, but later. After everything has settled down. Right now he's gone back to his hometown to find his brother. I don't know the details, but just the fact that his brother thought he was dead will probably be a lot to deal with. I figured he didn't need any more to worry about right now. Plus, Rune promised to bring back some water from the Water Realm. That will really work best for reviving his memories."

"I see."

"It's almost time for lunch. Will you be eating in here?" the small faerie asked.

"Oh? No, I think I'll be heading to the main hall soon. Since I can't help with the cooking, I at least want to help with setting the table and clearing the dishes after everyone's eaten."

"That's right, huh? Since your cooking skills are—"

"Don't say it!" she exclaimed in exasperation. It was almost exaggerated, the lengths Cesia and the maids went to in order to keep her from cooking anything. She wasn't that bad!

"Haha, alright. Well, I guess I'll meet you in the hall then! I'm supposed to go tell the Officers when lunch is ready." The little faerie waved to her as he flitted out of the room, on his way to the main parlor where the officers most often met to discuss private matters.

Delte's smiled slowly slipped from her features and she sighed as she looked at the clock. There wouldn't be time for a proper reading anymore. And this was an important matter, not something she could do half-heartedly. She wrapped her divination cards up in a silk cloth and slipped them into a pocket of her dress. She would just have to find another opportunity to find out what she needed to know.

* * *

A group of men were gathered in the parlor. Ruwalk had his hair tied back and sipped calmly at a cup of coffee he had brought in with him. Tetheus stood in the corner, leaning against the wall. His eyes were closed, but anyone who knew Tetheus knew that he was always on alert, even when he seemed to be relaxed. Bierrez was sitting in a chair beside Ruwalk, drumming his fingers impatiently along the armrest and across from him was the most recent to arrive, Thatz. The Blue Dragon Officer was lounging unconcernedly on a sofa with his feet propped up on the coffee table. Today he wasn't bothering to hide the fact that he was missing an arm, with the sleeve merely tied up to prevent it from getting in the way. But none of the officers in the room would make a fuss about it; they had long since become accustomed to the fact that Thatz no longer had an arm and he had proved himself to be just as capable with one arm as most people were with two.

Finally, the door opened and the last man arrived, the Dragon Lord himself.

"Dammit, Rath! You're late! You just can't seem to stay organized without Rune around to yell at you to get your ass in gear," complained Bierrez.

"Well excuse me if I have a little more paperwork than some people who currently have no duties to perform," Rath snapped back as he stomped towards the desk at the side of the room. He had on a long, formal coat, which he took off and tossed over the back of his chair, before sitting in it himself.

"Hey, it's not like I have nothing to do! More often than not, I feel like it's your slack I've been picking up!"

"Now, now, calm down you two," Ruwalk nervously interrupted their conversation. "There are more important things to discuss, don't you think?"

Bierrez glanced off to the side, but didn't say anything, while Rath muttered what sounded like "He started it…" Thatz rolled his eyes at the antics of his friends, but sat up straighter as the meeting commenced. Tetheus also opened his eyes, but didn't move from his spot against the wall.

Rath cleared his throat and looked around. He had attended meetings like this plenty of times in the past, as a Dragon Knight and occasionally as the holder of the Red Dragon Crystal, but leading the meeting from behind the Dragon Lord's desk as the Dragon Officers, _his subordinates, _looked at him expectantly, was an entirely different experience. Especially when two of said subordinates used to more or less be his superiors and one a former enemy. It was something he didn't think he would ever be able to get used to. He looked down at the first papers on the stack on his desk, the report Thatz had written up, which Rune had already had him read.

"Thatz, your overall report of the country's status was positive, and by the sound of it, we've already sent aid to the areas that still need it. Is that right?"

"From what I've seen, yeah. Everything that can be done is being done. The rest is just a matter of time."

"And Gil has sent word that Glaciosa is also doing well and Gil, himself, will return within the week. It's taken a bit of effort, but it seems finally Dusis will be able to return to the peaceful land it once was," Ruwalk commented.

Rath sighed and ran a hand through his streaked hair. "Thank god for that." He moved the report off the pile and looked at the next one. "Tetheus, you reported that there was a strange incident in Chantel?"

The dark-haired man nodded. "Apparently, a fortune-teller received a request to look into your past. Because of your ability to mentally block anyone from gathering information about you, she was not able to discover anything. However, we were not able to find out who made the request in the first place. The fortune-teller told us that it was a small man who kept his hood up and wished to remain anonymous. She said she would have refused, but he offered her a large sum of money and in the end he was able to sway her into giving it a try, which was unsuccessful."

"Do you think it was one of the members of Nadil's army?"

"It is possible, though he never threatened her, so she said. Nonetheless, I have left a group of Dragon Fighters to patrol the city, should the man show up again."

Rath narrowed his eyes in contemplation. Of course there were still demons left after Nadil was destroyed, but they were nowhere near organized enough or powerful enough to form any sort of attack on the Dragon Castle again. He could think of very few who would still be after him, but one came to mind and he happened to be very short…

"Bierrez." The orange-haired man looked up at the Dragon Lord. "You remember that time when you snuck into the Dragon Castle to kill me and take Cesia."

It was a statement of fact, with not a trace of accusation in his tone of voice, but Bierrez fought the urge to look away. He was not ashamed of his actions as a demon, but he did feel uncomfortable knowing that he was once an enemy of the Dragon Clan. "Yes. Why do you bring that up?" he asked defensively.

"There was that boy that worked with Kharl and attacked Cesia. What do you remember about him?"

The officer's eyes widened as he realized what Rath was thinking. "Garfakcy. He was a human boy who worked as Kharl's henchman. You think it might have been him?"

Rath kept his expression guarded, but nodded. "I think of all our enemies who are still alive, he is a likely suspect."

"Hey guys, hold up," said Thatz. He gestured to Ruwalk and Tetheus. "Mind filling us in on what you guys are talking about?"

"There is a demon named Kharl who lives on the continent of Arinas," explained Bierrez. "So he would be more or less unaffected by Nadil's death. He and this little creep named Garfakcy helped me put everyone in the castle to sleep when I tried to get Cesia back. I'm not too sure what their motives were, aside from stealing Nadil's head, but since Garfakcy is human, he wouldn't raise as much suspicion going around Chantel and he is pretty short. He would fit the description of whoever visited that fortune-teller."

Thatz leaned forward with a serious expression. "Does he use ash weapons?"

Bierrez blinked. "Come to think of it, yeah. Kharl did make some weird ash for him to use."

"Then this wouldn't be the first time he's gone to a fortune-teller to get information. He was the guy that attacked Delte before I brought her back here," Thatz replied.

"It all fits together, then," Rath agreed.

"If you can provide more detail, I can have men searching for someone who fits that description," Tetheus spoke up.

"Like we said, he looks like a boy," started Bierrez. "He would appear no older than a human teenager, but in reality I have no idea how old he is. I bet Kharl had a hand in that too. His hair is multiple shades of brown and it's longer in the back. Also, I remember that he didn't have any eyebrows. All in all, a freaky kid."

Ruwalk sighed. "Let's hope we can solve this issue too, then."

They heard a light tapping on the door. The knob turned and then the tiny head of Ringleys poked in. "I hope I'm not interrupting, but I was sent to inform you that lunch will be served shortly," he informed them.

As if it heard for itself, Thatz's stomach then let out a hungry growl. Thatz patted it with a chuckle. "Well, you guys heard the faerie! Lunch time!"

Bierrez scowled, Ruwalk smiled, and Rath tried not to laugh. "Are there any other reports?"

The officers all responded negatively.

"Well then, let's go eat!"

* * *

Kharl's library had proved fruitless. There were books on science and magic and history as far as the eye could see; it was undoubtedly a collection without parallel. But if he wanted to find out about Kharl's own work, Garfakcy would simply have to sneak into Kharl's study which also doubled as his laboratory. It was something he dreaded because not only was it messy, it was a direct violation of Kharl's orders. The blessed day Garfakcy had been taken under Kharl's wing, the day he was given a whole new life of freedom, Kharl had told him that he was allowed anywhere in the castle—except the study.

"_You may never, under any circumstances, enter my study unless you have my permission to do so." _It was a rule the boy had observed up until now.

He had tried to avoid breaking it by seeking information through a fortune-teller, even though he hated dealing with others unless it was to kill them. But that failed as well.

"I'm sorry Master Kharl, but I don't have any other choice," he whispered to himself in the dark. His yellow eyes glowed in the light from a single candle he brought with him, as he pushed open the door. It wasn't locked.

As he'd expected, Kharl's study was a mess. The worst part was that he wouldn't be able to clean it up because he wasn't supposed to be there in the first place. So it took some time for Garfakcy to sort out the dusty volumes of Alchemic studies, and reference books, so that he would be able to narrow down the material he needed to search through. There were many bits and pieces of failed experiments, tentacles and claws which Garfakcy envied, unseeing eyeballs and dismembered hands, along with other body parts and smelly, rotten corpses, which his master had never bothered to get rid of. The room reeked of death. The boy set aside unlabeled bottles and beakers and boxes filled with who knows what, and tidied up the work table enough to give himself a small corner to sit at. And then finally, he had a stack of journals and notes written by Kharl himself to read through.

Garfakcy paused to listen for sounds in the night. Perhaps Kharl had finally ventured outside the room to wander the castle or have a meal. But no, the castle was as silent as it had been. Not even rats scuttling in the halls. (The rats learned long ago to stay clear of this castle or they would be used as test subjects.)

And so, Garfakcy began to read. He browsed through all the papers and notes, trying to order them chronologically, though not all of them were dated. He discarded anything too recent or papers for experiments he already recognized. Obviously, his master was old and had done much work over the centuries. He couldn't even guarantee that what he was searching for was here at all. There were piles of boxes filled with papers and books filled with notes that were not always completely legible. He worked late into the night, his eyelids growing heavier with each passing moment.

Kharl had never fully explained to him how Rath was significant, but he had always hinted at once having had a close relationship with the current Dragon Lord. Garfakcy could only assume him to be a favorite creation of Kharl's that the Dragon Tribe had stolen away. The stupid dragons were always so self-righteous and did whatever they pleased, so he knew it was more than plausible. He thought what he wanted to know would be in the notes for some great experiment, perhaps even something Kharl had worked on with his now-deceased master.

His candle had melted down to the end, so he went to fetch a new one, despite his weary state. He returned and sat down at his master's desk again.

"Demon mutations, water demons, hybrids, faerie experimentation, ogres, demon seeds…" he muttered as he went through the papers. At first he didn't find anything he thought was relevant. Then Garfakcy opened up an old leather-bound volume, one of the oldest records he found. He drew the candle closer to read, for the writing was faded and old. He began looking at the first line and then the next. He was confused for a moment when he suddenly realized what he was reading and he closed the book quickly, sending a small cloud of dust up into the air. It was not a research journal or notes or history or anything of that sort. It was a journal. And while Garfakcy could justify reading his master's old notes, he wasn't so sure he could read Kharl's journal.

He looked out the window at the brightening sky. He had been reading through old pages of notes and scribbles all night and did not have the mental faculties to debate with himself on whether or not he should read Kharl's personal journal when he didn't even know if it had the answers he wanted. He would put it aside for now. Maybe he could get Kharl out of bed today. Maybe he wouldn't need a reason to read the journal at all.

Though as Garfakcy returned the notes to their previous state of disarray, he couldn't quite feel optimistic enough to really believe that.

* * *

I contemplated for quite a bit whether or not to get rid of the first scene with the castle maids. It seemed a little out of place, but in the end it was just so fun to write that I decided to keep it, haha. On the other hand, the plot actually progressed a little this chapter. Woo-hoo! Hopefully, you all can see where this is leading. The next chapter won't focus on the overall plot so much, but it will hopefully answer a few questions you may or may not have had about the series. I'm afraid I must apologize in advance though. Unless I get a massive spurt of inspiration this week, the next update will be pushed back because I will be off at a job with almost no computer access (and not even any cell phone service!) So I won't be able to write or update until August at the earliest.

But I didn't get a single review for the last chapter. Was it that bad? XD I won't go begging for reviews (I've done that in the past, I'm ashamed to say) and I will continue writing this story even if I don't receive any reviews, but it is nice to receive feedback and know what I'm doing well or if something needs correcting.


	6. The Beginning of Answers

Custom-made high-heeled boots allowed their wearer to walk silently down the hallways of the Dragon Castle. The heel was designed so that the shoes did not create the tell-tale loud clicking of heels against polished floors, so commonly heard among those marble halls. The ball of the foot had tread that made them suitable for hiking and climbing as well. They were fashionable and practical and Kitchel loved them. A while back, when it became apparent that she would continue to work for the Dragon Lord, she became an official member of the Dragon Tribe and they had these specially prepared for her. She wasn't totally sure, but she had a feeling that Tetheus had something to do with it, though she knew he would never say so himself.

The thief grinned giddily. The Captain of the Dragon Fighters was as stoic as they came and was the complete opposite of herself, but she couldn't help but find herself drawn to him. He was strong, admirable, dedicated, not to mention incredibly handsome, and everything a great man should be in her humble opinion. While she knew that she annoyed him terribly, she couldn't help but think that he just might feel the same way about her. So she hoped.

At the moment, she knew Tetheus was in the middle of a meeting with the Lord and other officers, so she was in search of someone else to help alleviate her boredom. Perhaps Cesia. If Tintlet were still at the castle, she would have been her first choice. She had grown quite close to the faerie princess during their journey together, but it was inevitable that she would have to return to the Faerie Forest one day. Kitchel sighed, the sound of it seeming to echo in the giant grand hallway. Some meters away, one of the doors opened and she perked up at the thought of company. Then a head of messy green hair appeared and she blinked.

"Thatz?" Somehow, she wasn't expecting to see him. While it wasn't odd that they should meet, both of them were staying at the castle afterall, it seemed like a very long time since they were both alone together. Their respective jobs had them traveling all over the country, him on official business and her on not-so-official business, and it wasn't often that they were in the same place at the same time. She could hardly think of the last time they had actually held a conversation with one another.

"Kitchel? Where are you headed off to? Lunch is about to be served, you know."

"Ha! Not all of us think with our stomachs, Thatz. I have some business to attend to, if you must know."

"Oh, is that so?" he responded grumpily, obviously not impressed by the jab at his appetite. "I won't keep you, then."

She blinked as he walked away from her. In the past he would have responded to her comment with a snarky comeback of his own. She felt almost insulted that her remark would be brushed off so easily. She began to follow him, quietly slipping into what she thought of as her stealth mode. She planned her sneak attack in her mind, perfecting the timing with each step. He seemed oblivious, still walking steadily down the hall. It was hard to believe that silly man had ever been able to steal anything. He couldn't even defend himself from being robbed.

As if he'd read her mind, he said, "You aren't as quiet as you think, Kitchel."

She froze as he looked over his shoulder at her with a grin.

"You could hear me?" she asked incredulously.

He laughed. "Others probably wouldn't notice, but I know you too well. You're predictable."

In an effort to keep up a front, she stuck her tongue out at him. "That sounds like a challenge to me."

"Maybe it is."

"Then you'd better watch your back, Thatz," she smirked. "I'm not the Dragon Lord's thief for nothing."

"I'll be looking forward to it then. Go ahead and give it your best shot," he dared as he turned back down the hall.

She started to follow him to continue their banter. It was surprising how easily she could slip into an argument with him. It felt like the old days when they were competing for the title of "Best Thief" and they tried to one-up each other almost constantly. She hadn't quite realized how much she missed him, but he was one of the only people from her past she could still talk to. Dare she say it, he had been one of her best friends.

But then another figure appeared, peeking around a doorway, a long bustle skirt following her petite figure. Short wavy hair framed a delicate face. It was the castle's faerie fortune-teller, Delte. "Thatz? Everyone is wondering where you are, they didn't want to start eating without you."

He went to her and said some off-hand comment about something or other. Kitchel couldn't help but notice how close they stood together. And suddenly all the distance that had disappeared between her and Thatz during those few short moments returned. She paused, not sure whether to continue walking with him.

"I'll be coming now," he replied. He looked over at Kitchel again. "Are you sure you don't want to come eat? Your business isn't that urgent, is it?"

Had he asked her a moment ago, she would have gladly agreed. But now Delte was standing there beside him, as comfortable with the green-haired man as she once was, taking a place next to him that she used to have. Meanwhile, Kitchel was standing awkwardly a few feet away, fidgeting in a way that wasn't like her. She didn't like it. She wasn't used to feeling uncomfortable.

"No, I'd rather take care of it now than later. I'll catch you guys some other time!" she forced her smile and then turned on her heel, eager to be on her way again.

"Hey Kitchel!" She turned to look back at him again. He winked, "I'll keep my doors and windows locked, yeah?"

Her grin returned for an instant. "As if that would stop me!"

Then she was gone. Perhaps Tetheus was taking lunch in his office, she thought to herself. Far off, on the other side of the castle, the poor man sneezed. Knowing he wasn't catching a cold, he rubbed his nose and wondered idly if the Dragon Fighters were talking about him behind his back again.

* * *

Rune waded through the clear, shallow water. His footprints left small clouds of mud in their wake, drifting away and resettling further down the stream as he passed. The little faerie guiding him hovered a moment and pointed to a large tree whose roots lifted up out of the ground and then dipped into the stream Rune was currently crossing. The bark was silvery and smooth, and the trunk was so wide, it would take ten men to wrap their arms around it. Its leaves blocked out any sunlight that tried to reach the ground below. Rune leaped nimbly onto one of the roots that arched up over the water, a trail of sparkling water droplets following him, and then stood looking up into the branches. He could hear voices speaking softly and when he looked to the small water light that was guiding him, the girl nodded.

"Hello?" he called up.

The voices stopped abruptly. Rune squinted, straining his long elfin ears to listen for more sounds coming from above, the whisper of a voice, the rustle of movement in the leaves. Then, in the blink of an eye, a man leaped down from the branches and a lavishly decorated sword was pointed at his throat. Rune stood his ground, but glared as he found himself face to face with a man with long crimson hair and burning red eyes. The water light fluttered off in a panic to retrieve help, not expecting the sudden attack on her prince. Rune began quickly calculating the best way to deal with the situation in his mind, recalling a spell he often used in battle. Before he could recite the incantation, another man with golden blond hair and matching eyes leaped down beside the other.

"Ringa, stop it!" the blond ordered. "He obviously isn't any threat to us!"

The red gaze didn't stray from Rune, but the stranger obediently lowered his weapon. The blond stepped in front of him with an apologetic look. "I'm very sorry. Ringa is simply wary of everyone, don't take it personally. My name is Naatasu and this is my traveling companion, Ringa." Naatasu held out a hand and Rune took it hesitantly. "And also there is—"

"Lord Rune?"

The elfin prince jerked his head up at the voice. Though it was softer than before, that voice was unmistakable. "Silk?" he asked hesitantly.

A small water light with flowing lavender-blond hair fluttered down from the tree. She wore a simple dress that did not hinder her wings, but bits of her hair were braided and ornamented as she used to wear it years ago. There was no mistaking her.

"I see you have already met before?" Naatasu's statement sounded more like a question.

Rune responded distractedly, "We have, but… My gods, I never thought I would see you again Silk."

"I had hardly dreamed that I would meet you again either, my Lord," she spoke, landing softly on the palm of his outstretched hand. "It's been a long journey and I wish I could tell you all of it, but I fear it would take too long. As it is, Naatasu and Ringa have information to relay to you."

"So he is the prince you spoke of?" came a deeper voice. Rune looked up to realize that Ringa had spoken for the first time. He didn't look at all apologetic for his behavior earlier, but his stance was more at ease.

Silk nodded. "Yes. Please tell him all that you know. He is our noble prince but also holds loyalty to the Dragon Clan. If anyone would know what to do, it would be him."

"Finally going to spill your secrets, eh?"

The group turned unanimously to face the new visitor. It was none other than Sabel, sprawled in the branches of the second nearest tree.

Ringa's sword came unsheathed again. "How long have you been there?" he demanded.

"Long enough," he drawled lazily. "The little water light came rushing to find me because apparently a fight had broken out. She was all in a tizzy. I told her I would take care of it, but when I got here there was no fighting at all. I am curious, however, about what it is you have to say that's so important."

"Nothing that you need to hear."

"Now that's not very nice," the former-demon pouted.

"It's fine," said Rune, holding his hand up. "He had a bad attitude, but Sabel is the Dragon Knight of Water and he can be trusted. Just tell me whatever it is you need to tell me."

Naatasu smiled and put a hand on Ringa's shoulder. The red-haired man reluctantly re-sheathed his sword and sat back to let Naatasu speak. The blond turned back towards his small audience. "If you know Silk, then I'm sure you already know of her past predicament. Once upon a time, the Renkin Wizard Kharl decided it would be great fun to turn faeries into demons. Hundreds of faeries and elves suffered at the hands of this cruel man who had little care for our race." The golden eyes looked up at Rune and Sabel. "Yes, I said 'our.' I was one of the many victims, a faerie turned demon. But I was lucky. I was saved, by none other than the dragon lord himself." He reached under his tunic and pulled at a string until the end of it appeared, a small red jewel that Rune was very familiar with.

"A light blood amulet," he whispered.

"You are quite knowledgeable, aren't you?" Naatasu noted. "Yes, his highness Lord Lykouleon gifted me with this amulet, made from his own blood to drive away the demonic blood within myself. Very few are capable of withstanding the Dragon Lord's blood, and I was only one he was able to save. Unfortunately. But because I was saved, Lykouleon gave me a task. I was commanded to discover who was behind the disgusting crime of turning faeries into demons and then stop him. He gave up his hobby after a while, and so it wasn't until much later that I was even able to track him down. The Renkin Wizard lives far away, on the phantom continent of Arinas. Though the Demon Lord of Dusis has been defeated, Kharl still poses as great a threat as ever. I am not strong enough to defeat him on my own. I traveled all across the continent of Arinas to learn as much as I could, but I did not discover much. But," he paused to look at Silk, "that was how I found this little one."

"I was in Arinas as well," spoke Silk. "The curse of death has been lifted and life will now be able to blossom there. I was born from a flower blooming in the forest there. I hoped to find traces of a Spirit Tribe in Arinas, but to no avail," she sighed. "Perhaps one day it will be able to truly flourish, but there is still much damage yet to fix."

"Nonetheless, we met each other," Naatasu smiled fondly, "as well as Ringa."

He did not elaborate on how or why he met the red-haired man in Arinas and Rune decided it would be best to wait until later for that question. Instead, he asked, "So you know the location of the One-Winged Angel?"

"The One-Winged Angel? Is that how they refer to Kharl these days? It does fit him…"

"Yes," Silk answered Rune's question. "With the Demon King of Dusis gone, once we destroy Kharl, both Dusis and Arinas will be able to once again live in peace and harmony! That's why we need your help Rune! And I'm sure if the new Dragon Lord were to hear of this, he would offer his help as well!"

Rune looked between the three and saw nothing but determination in their eyes. He turned back to Sabel who had been oddly silent. "What do you think?"

The teal-haired man shrugged and grinned lazily. "I have nothing better to do right now. Why not start another adventure?"

As he expected, the faeries were not happy that they were leaving again so soon. Sabel stood at the entrance with nothing but a traveler's cloak wrapped around himself. He waited patiently for Rune to say his farewells again. Ringa and Naatasu, with Silk perched on his shoulder, stood waiting as well. The water lights crowded around Rune, fluttering in disappointment. Each wanted to give him a parting word. Finally, they backed away and settled on the branches of the surrounding trees. Lim Kaana stepped forward then and before Rune could get a word in, she threw herself forward and into his arms.

"Do you really have to leave now?" she whimpered into his chest, her words muffled by the fabric of his clothes. "We just got here. You were going to show me around and tell me everything you could remember about the Spirit Tribe."

He smiled and ruffled her hair fondly. "I'm sorry it's so abrupt. But I'll be back soon, you'll see. In the meantime, you can learn a lot from Tintlet and the other faeries and even the forest itself. Don't worry. I know you'll get along fine."

"It's not me I'm worried about," she said curtly, but she stepped back, not waiting for his reply. She rushed off into the forest, her wings flickering angrily behind her.

"She just wants you to come home soon, safe and sound. Like I do." Rune looked towards the melodic voice of his wife. She was smiling but it was sad and regretful. He realized that this was also painful for her. They finally return home after so long and immediately he sets out to leave again. It wasn't fair to her.

"Tintlet…" He reached out to embrace her, his lean arms which contained unexpected strength closing gently around her. He breathed in deeply and the scent of her filled him, her hair giving off the fragrance of flowers and the freshness of a mountain stream. He sighed into her hair. There was only so much he could give to her, but at least protection and a safe, long life was something he could give her even when he wasn't there. "I'm sorry that I must leave again so soon."

"I understand. I wish I didn't have to see you off so quickly after we've arrived, but I know that I can't stop you." Though she said that, when he pulled back to look into her eyes, he saw nothing but her desire for him to stay.

"I'm sorry," he said again. And he kissed her, quickly but firmly. "I will return here. I promise."

"And I will be waiting," she gave him another small smile.

He turned and walked towards his new traveling companions, who were waiting silently and patiently. Rune gave Tintlet one last look over his shoulder before disappearing into the outside world once again.

* * *

The sun was setting on another day in Arinas, and still Kharl had not moved from his room. Garfakcy had peeked in more than once throughout the day, and not a hair on his master's head had moved from its prone position. Garfakcy didn't think he could deal with much more. If he thought running in and jumping on the bed would help, he would do it. If he thought making Kharl his favorite meal would rouse him, he would. If slaughtering the Dragon Clan would help, by gods, he would slaughter them. But he didn't know for sure what was causing this dreadful sleep and so he decided on research. Kharl's journal was where he left it, sitting amongst a pile of old research notes and scrolls. The leather-bound book was plain and unassuming; it had no intricate designs or fancy binding, nothing to distinguish it from the rest of the leather books accumulated there. And yet, the content was vastly different. He opened the cover to the first page.

Garfakcy noticed a scrawled message in a hand different from his master's own. It was tall and looping, an arrogant style. The words were simply "For Karl." Garfakcy blinked at the spelling and the message. Apparently the plain book had been a gift, but who would have spelled his master's name in that way? He turned the page and began reading.

_Shall I start with an introduction? My name is Karl and I am a demon. I was born alone, as most demons are, hatching from an egg in a form mature enough to fend for myself. I didn't know it at the time, but that alone made me a demon of higher class. I had no desire to search out my parents; to this day I have no idea who they might have been. Instead, I wandered the land, a curious mind in search of engagement. My wings, still new and covered in a fluffy down, barely supported my weight as I traveled, but they became stronger with the passing days. I never noticed that I was lonely until the day I met him. A demon of great wisdom. He was older than myself, already having lived for many centuries. His name was Kiryu, and he had a peculiar hairstyle, though I don't suppose I'm one to talk. But I don't think I had any real attachment for him, however. Simply an appreciation of his company and a respect for his knowledge. My desire for knowledge was enormous, even then._

_It's a curious feeling, writing all of this down. I've never even thought to keep a journal before. I have a healthy mind and remember most everything I feel I need to, but my young master thinks this will be a good practice for me, and so I will attempt it. It is the first thing he has ever given to me, so I will treasure it, regardless._

Garfakcy's eyes widened. The journal had been a gift from Kharl's master! There was no date at the beginning of the entries, but from that alone, Garfakcy could imagine how immensely old the volume truly was. He continued reading.

_To continue, there was a small fortress built there, long-abandoned by whoever it was that built it, human or demon. It served no greater purpose than for Kiryu to store his volumes of books on all subjects regarding science and sorcery, along with his hodgepodge of tools and materials. He blended the two subjects almost seamlessly and probably could have been credited for most of the earliest alchemic techniques. I was simply dabbling in it at the beginning, but soon I found it to be quite fascinating. I researched alongside him until soon I was working on experiments of my own. When I realized I had learned all I could from him, and had, in fact, surpassed him, I began to research and work on what was my greatest creation of all. It was the death of my teacher and the birth of my king._

_I did not have my birds at the time to help me craft the body and mind—I did it all on my own power, stealing life from demons, humans, faeries, and finally from Kiryu as well. I put a piece of my own soul into him, I gave him life. But the result was well worth the trouble. Never before or after did I ever create something so beautiful. The moment he was born, I could sense his great power. He was a mischievous child and still is to this day. I taught him much and he absorbed knowledge quickly, learning and growing by the day. Already the other demons all across the land began to recognize my master's strength and I would be lying if I said it didn't go to our heads a bit. He started most of the fights in the beginning, but it wasn't long before they started coming to us instead. Day by day, new monsters and demons of all sorts appeared to challenge us and my master easily defeated each and every one. It is odd to see such power in a demon so young, but he is undoubtedly exceptional. I knew it the moment I met him, and that is why I serve him instead of the other way around. He is proud, and aspires to be a king of demons and I do not doubt that he will achieve this._

_On the other hand, he can be quite immature as well. I feel at times that I may be babysitting rather than serving. The other night he disappeared without notice and I spent some hours searching for him, flying over the forest for a glimpse of his ebony wings or a spark of his magic. I finally discovered him perched atop the roof of one of the human dwellings, picking flesh off of the carcass of a human child he had killed. The humans were weak and foolish for even daring to try and settle anywhere near my master, but we had no complaints, for humans tasted much better than the hard flesh of demons. Human children in particular were almost a delicacy that my master very much enjoyed. He was munching on the eyeballs when I landed beside him on the thatched rooftop, the other buildings around us swathed in flames and filled with the screams of men and women. My master enjoyed using fire magic above other spells._

"_So here you are," I said as I folded my wings up. The fire did not particularly bother me, but it would be troublesome if my feathers became singed._

"_Here I am," he acknowledged, licking dark red from his claws._

"_You could have told me you were going off to hunt humans, you know. It would have saved me a bit of trouble." I was pouting, I knew._

_The little imp grinned at me, the crimson of his eyes seemed even more mischievous in the firelight. "Oh dear, did I worry you? Were you searching for me? I'll leave a note next time, shall I?"_

_This is not atypical for him. He knows that I worry over him and he makes fun of me for it every chance he can manage. But what I don't think he realizes is that rather than being scared of losing him, I am afraid that one day he will abandon me. So far I am the only one he has ever allowed to be close to him, but there is nothing to stop him from getting rid of me as well, should he ever choose to do so. Though I am his creator, there is nothing to guarantee that he will stay by my side. It's almost mortifying, how much I have become dependent on his presence._

There were no dates or other notation to signify each entry, but there was a bit of space between the paragraphs, the only implication that each entry had ended and a new one was starting. Garfakcy read through many more similar entries of adventures and incidents centering around Kharl's master. Garfakcy had always imagined his master's master to be someone great, but he was beginning to think that perhaps his assumptions had been entirely wrong. And if he created his master, then could that mean… Many of Kharl's ambiguous comments began to make more sense. The image of the great Demon King of Arinas now painted in Garfakcy's mind was not that of a lordly demon, but of a young mischief-maker with black and white hair and more power than he knew what to do with. He read further.

_My young master has decided that he wants a castle. Can you imagine? Not even a century old and already he wants a castle of his own. Well, I would never bother to disagree with him on such a trivial matter. Already we have rounded up lesser demons to haul the stones for us so that we may add to our small fortress, and they would not dare disobey us. It has been a while now since any lower life form dared to challenge us and my master's power has more or less been acknowledged by all the demons across Arinas now. The title of king is quite fitting for him after all. He acts like one, to be sure. There is a confidence and grace to his step found only amongst the most powerful demons. He is proud and arrogant, but he has the power to support it. And when he is furious… Well, I have rarely seen him truly angry, but it is a fearsome thing to behold. _

_Besides the aforementioned, the outfits he comes up with would look ridiculous on anyone but him, with tassels and straps of leather and such an excess of fabric like none but the most arrogant noble would wear. But somehow it suits him and there is a deadly beauty about him that none can deny. In just the past few years, his body has matured into the appearance of a young adult man and his fine dark hair has grown past his shoulders, though he keeps it tied back. His eyes shine ruby, surrounded by long dark lashes and still hold a hint of mischief if you look closely. His fingers are long and delicate with finely pointed claws at the ends of each and his wings are the grandest and blackest you will find on any demon. Each feather is silky perfection in itself. I already know that no female demon will ever steal my attention the way he does._

_But he still keeps me as his right hand man, and really his only man. In the grand plans for his castle, he has shared with me his ideas for each and every room and there are only two private chambers in all the structure; his and my own. My fear of being abandoned is all but gone. Our souls are intertwined and I know that he would not forsake me anymore than I would forsake him. But by now, should ever I be left alone, I know that I would surely go mad._

_The other day he called upon me and asked a preposterous question, "Why do you stay by my side? Out of fear? Out of reverence? Or perhaps out of boredom?"_

_Without even having to consider I replied, "I stay with you because I love you."_

_I don't think I had ever seen my master make such a shocked expression before. And why wouldn't he? Love is almost a foreign concept among demons._

Garfakcy blinked as the subject abruptly changed.

_The humans still continue to attempt to settle across the land. We have let them be for the time being, as my master finds them amusing. But word has reached us that across the sea, in the continent of Dusis, a race calling themselves the Dragon Clan have taken control of the land. Apparently they formed a pact with dragons in order to gain power enough to fight off demons. It's surely troublesome for the demons overseas, but so far my master has little interest in the goings-on of a foreign continent. We are powerful and the humans are weak. As long as the so-called Dragons don't meddle in our affairs, he seems content to let them be. It is a potentially unwise decision, but I will keep an ear to the rumors in his stead._

There were more entries regarding the construction of the castle, some more interesting incidents and stories, and also what Kharl learned of the Dragon Clan, mostly information Garfakcy was already familiar with. He didn't see much written about alchemy or experiments, which was seemed odd. Then he finally got to an interesting entry in particular.

Garfakcy skimmed through the pages until he found other entries of note. Before he could immerse himself in the journal once more, the door slammed back against the wall as it was shoved open with more force than was probably ever exerted on it. A small cloud of dust erupted and caught the light of the dim candle, leaving the whole room cast in a flickering smog. When it cleared, Garfakcy could make out the unmistakable mess of gravity-defying hair, still tousled from sleep. Garfakcy's heart leapt for joy to see his master awake until he caught sight of the normally serene lavender eyes glaring with a ferocity he had never seen directed at himself.

"Garfakcy," came the cold voice of an ancient demon. "What is that you are reading, I wonder?"

The boy looked down at the book still lying open in his hands. There would be no way around this situation.

"I never knew you were so interested in my research," he continued. "Had you but asked, I would have brought you any number of books. There was no need to sneak into my private study and look through my private belongings." Kharl's voice was sarcastic and hinted that he knew exactly what it was Garfakcy was looking for.

"K-kharl… My lord, I am so sorry! I meant you no wrong, but I was worried and I didn't know what to do and—" The tiny immortal's body was flung back against the wall with great force, causing the wind to be knocked from him. He lay on the floor, gasping for air.

"I don't need you to worry about me! Do not feel sorry for _me!_" the white haired man screamed with bared fangs. His eyes were slits and his face contorted in such an animalistic way that reminded Garfakcy of the beast that lay within the form of a man. But then the great demon froze at the sight of his young pupil, staring up at him wide-eyed from where he lay on the floor. His expression immediately lost all hints of fury and he looked downright ashamed. He extended a clawed hand, only to pull it back towards himself again. He seemed to suddenly regain a sense of himself and found he was at a loss for what to do. "I… Garfakcy, I…"

"Lord Kharl…?" the boy whispered tentatively. The Renkin Wizard had never displayed such a range of emotions in such a short span of time and the boy worried that something might still be affecting his master. Then Garfakcy found himself swept up in a tangle of arms and robes, and it took him a moment to realize he was being embraced.

"Garfakcy. I'm so sorry. So very sorry. You were only trying to help me and I... You are very dear to me, my boy. Please know that. I'm so sorry. You would never have had to snoop around if I... This is all my fault, all of this could have been avoided if I had only told you the whole truth from the beginning. Please. Ask me anything, anything at all, and I will tell you whatever it is you want to know."

The boy was still reeling from the sudden and unexpected display of affection from his master and it took him a moment to recollect his thoughts so that he could remember exactly what it was he had been trying to discover in his master's old notes. When it came to him, he gulped and looked up at Kharl, worrying that he might anger him again. Slowly, he asked, "Lord Kharl… Who exactly is Rath?"

The alchemist's expression sombered even more, but he replied, "Let me start from the beginning."

* * *

Cliffhanger! As promised, I updated the story before the middle of August! It's sooner than even I anticipated! I guess I was just feeling a bit inspired. I hope it isn't too rushed, this came out unexpectedly quick (only two days!) so it may have some careless mistakes and such. EDIT: I DID INDEED MAKE A VERY CARELESS MISTAKE. I WILL MAKE A NOTE AT THE BEGINNING OF THE NEXT CHAPTER FOR ANY WHO READ THE FIRST VERSION OF THIS ONE ALREADY, SO THEY WILL NOT BECOME CONFUSED.

And before anyone goes yelling at me for using OCs when I said I would not, allow me to explain. Naatasu and Ringa are not original characters, but characters that Ohkami-sensei never introduced to the series. It is my belief that they would have been used in helping to explain Nohiro, which is something that just never happened, and therefore they were never used. For a lengthier explanation, please see my rant about it here: http: / ohkamimineko. tumblr. com/ post/ 6359956034/ the-naatasu-ringa-silk-theory-my-take-on-the (Copy and paste into browser and remove the spaces.)

Karl is Mineko Ohkami's original romanization of Kharl's name, the extra h was a Tokyopop addition. I'm not sure about how it is spelled in other countries where the series was translated, but I felt it would just be an interesting thing to add in to the story.

And holy grilled cheesus, I now understand Ohkami-sensei's frequent scene changes in later volumes. There are just so many characters to keep track of, especially when they're all in different locations, doing different things! It's crazy! Main plots and side plots and extra gags and blagh! This chapter was supposed to transition back to the Dragon Castle again, but I decided to wait until the next chapter for that. Please look forward to the conclusion to Kharl's tale and more exciting DK goodness next time~ R&R!


	7. The Demon King of Arinas Part I

A quick Author's Note: If you read the previous chapter right when it was posted, it has since been changed and I would recommend going back and re-reading the part about Kharl's journal before continuing to this chapter. It's not entirely necessary because this chapter will more or less re-tell the same thing, but in more detail, however it would probably still be a good idea. My original logic was that Kharl couldn't create Rath without the birds, so he would have to somehow meet Rath first and then something would happen where he would have to re-create Rath, but then I was like NO THIS DOESN'T WORK EITHER, so I re-wrote the journal part so that Kharl does indeed create Rath instead of meeting him right from the beginning. Sorry 'bout that.

* * *

The alchemist began rummaging through shelves, tipping over books in the process, and peaking into boxes. Garfakcy stood in the center of the room, not sure of what to do. His master had just promised to tell him about Rath, yet he suddenly looked preoccupied with something else entirely. Perhaps he was searching for something he needed to tell the tale. "Lord Kharl…?"

"Though I said I'd tell you, it's actually much more simple if I show you instead." He rummaged around a few more shelves and ducked his head under a desk before popping back up. "Aha!" In his hand was a small vial, no larger than Garfakcy's pinky finger. He tossed it to his young ward. "Drink this. It's something I developed when I was searching for a way to restore Rath's memories."

Garfakcy was hesitant. On more than one occasion, Kharl had accidentally mixed up his potions and it usually ended in a big mess that Garfakcy had to clean up. But he was curious, so he took a chance and broke the cap sealing the vial. In one quick motion, he emptied the contents into his mouth and swallowed. It was almost tasteless. There was a hint of what could have been wine, but it was too faint to be sure and soon, the boy became light-headed. Garfakcy put a hand to his head, doing everything in his power to keep his balance. "Lord Kharl, what…?"

"You should be getting drowsy; that's good, don't fight it. Come, sit here and relax. Take my hand. You should now be able to see my memories as I tell them to you."

Garfakcy did as he was told. He did not notice his master removing his gloves, but when he took his hand it was undoubtedly warm flesh and not the soft satin that he was accustomed to.

"Now, to begin I was born in Arinas in the middle of the night when the sky was covered in clouds. I was born to darkness. For the first few hours I thought I would be spending the rest of my life in that shadowy world."

In his mind's eye, Garfakcy could see it. Deep in the forest of their home continent, a young and round-faced version of his master crept through the blackness of night. He was far from the part of the continent they now inhabited, trees growing tall and close together, blocking out even the pale streams of moonlight that tried to reach the forest floor. The young demon was naked except for the frail-looking white wings wrapped about himself for warmth. The expression on his master's face was wide-eyed and naïve, but not frightened. He had not yet achieved the knowing that seemed so natural to the alchemist's features now, but he still had a look of curiosity.

"But morning came and with it came all the new sights and sounds, completely different from the forest during the night time. I learned quickly. Growing up by myself, I had to learn quickly…"

Garfakcy observed as time passed and Kharl was soon able to swoop down over unsuspecting demons, his wings now a shocking white and strong enough to hold his weight in the air. He was all claws and teeth as he mercilessly slaughtered his prey. Clothes that one could assume were stolen from elsewhere were covered in dirt and blood, stains both old and recent. Once the demons were killed, the young Kharl took his time picking through the body parts and examining the claws, the fur, the faces. His claws were blood-stained a muddy red, flecks of the dried fluid trapped beneath each claw from previous kills. But if Kharl paid any mind to it, he did not show it. For him, each demon was something new to learn about, a mysterious process of bone, muscle, and organs. He wanted to discover how they worked, what made them function. His dissection was sloppy, but thorough. When he was done, he ate what he wanted to eat and saved bits that caught his interest, usually claws or teeth or perhaps scales or body armor if they were the type to have such features.

As he matured, he began to kill more cleanly and efficiently. He no longer wore tattered and blood-stained clothes, but crisp and clean robes and jackets. Garfakcy watched as his master used a pair of claws that he'd stolen off of some great feline to cut through the corpse of a giant lizard without actually touching it himself. He scowled as a spurt of blood stained the cuff of his jacket. But his lavender eyes shined with mischief and curiosity.

"I'm sure I would have discovered alchemy eventually, but it might have been a great while later if I hadn't met Kiryu. He was an interesting man, and I suppose I owe him much. He taught me all about alchemy and science and other such things."

Again, the vision before Garfakcy changed to show a tall blond man wearing spectacles approaching Kharl, who was standing defensively beside a corpse he had just killed.

"So you are the infamous demon who kills and dissects his prey. You're younger than I thought you'd be." He smirked. "Tell me, what do you hope to gain from doing this? What are you looking for?"

Kharl growled. "Who are you? What do you want?"

"Ah, pardon me. I should have introduced myself first. My name is Kiryu and I am a… medicine man, you could say."

Kharl's eyes narrowed. "A medicine man?"

"Yes, I study anatomy and biology, how the body works. Along with that I study various substances and their effects on a body. Human, demon, or otherwise." He smiled darkly, suggesting that there was more to his words. "I've answered your questions, now how about answering mine?"

The white-haired demon drew his lips into a hard line for many moments, debating whether or not to answer. Finally, he replied, "My name is Kharl. I like learning about traits of other demons. It's interesting. And useful."

"It's interesting?" Kiryu repeated. "And then tell me, what do you know of human science? Or even magic?"

Kharl knew little about either subject, so he simply shook his head.

The blond sighed. "So much potential, yet you don't even know where to start. Come. Follow me." He turned around without even looking back at Kharl to see if he would follow.

His appearance was so abrupt and he had given so little information that Kharl seemed wary of whether or not he should go with the man. He was powerful, that could easily be seen. He had appeared before Kharl without leaking even a hint of his presence, and had taken the form of a human so perfectly that Kharl could not even spot a hint of claws or pointed ears. But ultimately, Kharl's sense of curiosity won out over his sense of self-preservation, as was so often the case. He trailed behind the blond at what he felt was a safe distance. Kiryu walked through the dense forest as easily as if he were strolling down a path, though there was absolutely none to be found. Kharl fluttered from tree to tree overhead.

Eventually, the forest cleared and Garfakcy recognized it as being the spot where their castle now stood. There was a small stone structure over-looking the sea, probably once created as a fortress of some sort with a good view of anyone approaching from the ocean. Once upon a time, it may have been a fine example of what humans were capable of achieving with their primitive abilities. But now its walls were crumbling, held together with the vines and branches of plants overtaking the structure. The only part of it that was clear was the entrance, a wooden door that had not even a knob. Kiryu pushed the door open and it swung in an easy arc though it was creaking with age.

"Come on. You've followed me this far. I have much to show you that I think you will be quite interested in." Again, he did not bother waiting for an answer before heading inside.

Kharl stood outside the entrance for a long time, deliberating. It's true that his curiosity had now reached its peak and he was anxious to see whatever it was that the mysterious blond demon wanted to show him. But at the same time, entering the lair of another demon was just plain idiocy. He could be devoured within moments, entering unknown territory, closed off from the rest of the forest and the skies. If Kiryu decided to attack him, he would be most defenseless.

He observed what he could from where he was. His sharp demon eyes pierced through the shadows and he picked up on every small detail. The entranceway was paved in stone, worn down by years of feet stomping over them. The corners were dusty, and the structure obviously was not tended to at all. He did not see, however, any hints of blood or struggle. He could smell nothing either, nothing but dust. He decided to take a chance and cautiously entered.

The inside was much like the outside; crumbling, in need of repair. Lining the walls were torch holders, a few of them still with little stubs of torches whose ends were charred and black, but they obviously had not been used in years. None but demons frequented these halls now, and a demon's eyesight was far superior to that of a human. Kharl made his way further in, growing more uneasy with every step. But he'd come this far in, he wasn't going to turn back now. He saw a light flickering ahead. It was the glow of a candle, illuminating a single chamber in a short corridor of other such rooms. He peaked inside.

Kiryu sat at a chair, a large book in hand. The way he sat was like no demon Kharl had seen, it was composed and regal, one leg crossed over the other. One could mistake him for a human in his posture and mannerisms, but he had the power of a demon barely hidden beneath the façade. He pushed his glasses up his slender nose and looked at Kharl as he entered. "So, you decided to come in afterall. Welcome, you are the first demon I have invited here. Make yourself comfortable."

Garfakcy couldn't tell where he was supposed to get comfortable as the blond was sitting in the only chair in the room. Kharl seemed to share the thought, for he settled for not moving at all and instead took in his surroundings. The room was lined with shelves and the shelves were covered in volume after volume of books. He had never seen so many books in one place before. He took in each one, wondering over the sheer number of them. He gazed at the titles, wishing he knew what they said—reading was never something he had bothered to learn. He pulled a worn-looking volume from the nearest shelf, the title barely readable even if he was able to understand what the letters meant, it was so old. He imagined at one time it must have been a very fancy leather-bound volume, but now the cover was dry and cracked, and the pages within looked as though they would crumble into dust at his touch.

"Have you ever considered, really considered, what it is you are looking at? You pull apart demons, look at each part individually, but do you realize how the parts work cohesively?" Kharl might have answered, but the blond's words made him wonder just how long he had been watched by this strange demon. He chose silence, but it didn't matter much because Kiryu continued on anyway. "There is a bigger picture to everything in this world. That being said, everything can also be broken down into smaller pieces. You've already realized this to some extent—you wouldn't be examining the demons you kill if you hadn't. I just want to offer you the opportunity to… learn more, to put it simply." He waved a hand vaguely towards the shelves.

This time the desire for knowledge, the thirst for possibilities, the tantalizing scent of shelf upon shelf of books whose letters and words he would be able to decipher and understand, it all overpowered him and he did not hesitate. He took a step forward. "What do I have to do?"

Kiryu spent hours with him that first night, teaching him each letter and its proper pronunciations until Kharl was able to read any word, no matter how long, with ease. Over the next few days he learned how to read sentences and understand grammar so that he was able to read and write fluently, as though he'd been doing it for years. Garfakcy couldn't quite wrap his mind around the idea of his master being unable to read and write, but he didn't dwell on that, as Kharl put the knowledge to use almost immediately. Kiryu's first recommendation was, of all things, an encyclopedia. But Kharl devoured it gladly, learning about new people, places, and items he had never even heard of before. Then he moved on to biology and chemistry and other sciences. The humans had developed some truly fascinating studies and methods and they were so _logical _about it all! There was no displays of excess or superiority, no embellishments, no distractions. Everything was what it was. And Kharl loved it. After science he read about history, geography, even mythology. He spent months sequestered away in Kiryu's library, finishing off book after book. But it wasn't until he had completely absorbed everything in the library that Kiryu finally relinquished to him the books on magic.

"You have been a truly diligent student," the blond commented fondly. "Moreso than even I had imagined. Once you are done with these books, come tell me. Then it is time for your real studies to begin."

Of course, Kharl needed no further encouragement. Charms and spells of all sorts were memorized within a matter of hours. He found divination to be quite tedious, but he thought voodoo to be quite amusing. Then finally, he read about what would become his life's vocation and his true interest and passion. _An Introduction to Alchemy, The Studies of Paracelsus, The Philosopher's Stone, Living Transmutations, _and other fabulous titles were soon added to his repertoire of knowledge. And one day, finally, he closed the cover of the last book and went to find Kiryu. The blond was always either in his study or in the room adjacent to which Kharl had never been invited into. It was on the door to this room that Kharl knocked, prepared to learn more.

After a moment, the door opened. Kiryu did not even bother asking if Kharl had finished reading the books; he knew the young demon would not have come to find him if he hadn't.

"You are ready. Good. Come with me," he motioned for Kharl to follow him out into the forest again. "The first thing we must do is capture a specimen—preferably alive. Anything will do, but since this is your first experiment, it might be better to start with something small."

The ended up catching a small lizard demon. It hissed and wriggled frantically within Kharl's claws, scratching up his fingers. But small wounds like that did not bother him much. They brought it back and finally Kharl saw the inside of the other room, a room filled with tools that he had read about in Kiryu's books, but had never seen before. They took the lizard apart bit by bit. Skin was pulled away to reveal muscle and sinew, organs and bones. Kiryu showed him each detail, everything from the still-beating heart to the blood cells under a lovely creation called a microscope.

But that was only the beginning. From then on, Kharl assisted Kiryu with many experiments, gruesome dissections and mutulations, magical and alchemic processes of all kinds, and with each experiment, Kharl learned. Kiryu was pleased to have an assistant and Kharl was happy to have a teacher. The problem arose after Kharl became competent. Too competent. He began to design his own experiments and came up with his own theories, often ignoring Kiryu's latest project in favor of pursuing his own. It wasn't long before he realized that he neither needed nor wanted Kiryu's presence. And yet, he was lonely. Kharl was a powerful demon who had lived alone for many years. At first, he hadn't realized he had any desire for company. But learning about the world had opened his mind and created a desire to share his discoveries and happiness with another. At first he sought a companion in Kiryu, however it quickly became obvious that the blond would not fill the ache that he felt. That's when he was struck by an idea.

"_And this is where our story truly begins."_

* * *

_Pale fingers were stained dark red, sharp claws dripping steadily. For the first time in a long while, he worked without the constricting fabric of his gloves around his fingers. Kharl's sleeves were steeped in the liquid, while flecks of blood were splattered across his front. The floor was painted with crimson. It flowed over ancient words that had been carved carefully into the stone floors in a circular shape, filling each small crevice, pooling around the symbols and lines Kharl had designed after careful research. He had been planning this moment for a long time, and had waited for the right moment, when he knew that Kiryu would be away long enough for him to etch the magical words into the floor._

_Kharl's knowledge was primitive in those early years, and there had been little success with any magic involving the exchanging of life energies before, so he had started entirely from scratch. It was, afterall, his own experimentation that would lead to some of the greatest developments in alchemy that the world had ever seen. But he was clever, as well as determined. He had nothing but curiousity and his own theories, but it was enough. It had taken him many tries, many failed attempts, and many mindless, soulless beings that he was able to bring to life, but only in the most basic, physical sense, before he felt ready to attempt the creation of a being with a soul. And for that, he would sacrifice his mentor._

_Kiryu, as knowledgeable as he was, never foresaw Kharl's betrayal. He walked ahead of his student and as he entered the small room they shared for practicing spells and trying new experiments, he never suspected that as Kharl followed behind, he was in his last moments of life. Kharl was now an almost constant presence, he had no reason to be suspicious of the white-haired demon. So when he suddenly felt claws tearing through his skin, reaching for his heart through his ribcage, his eyes went wide with shock. His normally confident and composed features were twisted into anger and disbelief. He was powerful, yes, but he had been taken completely by surprise. As he fell to the floor, his glasses cracked as they connected with the hard ground, and he spotted the etchings in the floor, prepared painstakingly beforehand. With his final breath, he realized with sarcasm that he was to become a part of what he had studied and practiced these past decades. He smiled bitterly, already growing cold._

_Kharl spared no time to mourn his teacher. His usefulness had passed and now he would just be one more demon, another corpse in the pile. He did not, and never would, regret his actions._

_He stood over the barely-living body with his claws still extended offensively, and immediately began to recite the words he had practiced and perfected. A flame appeared and spread over the body of Kiryu, but it did not burn. He added more items—the ashes of faeries, whose bodies he had incinerated to create a dust, as well as the hearts of humans which he placed at various points around the circle. He couldn't be certain that either of these items were necessary, but just to be sure, he had decided earlier to add them in. He began to tremble slightly—it was barely perceptible, but Kharl had never felt such anxiety or fear before. Or excitement. But he wasn't about to let that stop him, not when he was so close. He drew in a shaky breath and finally, he began to recite the last words and pulled out the final piece he deemed necessary for the spell. It was a feather, long and pure white, plucked from his own wing. It glowed dimly. He had beforehand performed a ritual cutting out a piece of himself—of his very own essence, his own soul—and infused it with the feather. This was the part he was not sure of. He dropped it with trepidation, hoping beyond hope that this spell would work. He watched as the white of the feather was slowly tainted with crimson until it was pure blood red. In an instant, it turned black and the flames within the magic circle leapt higher. Kharl could feel his energy being drained from him._

_He dropped to his knees and fell forward, into the flames. They did not burn him, but curled around him protectively, embracing him. He lost conscious after that and let himself fall into blackness._

* * *

_There were colors swirling before him, bright light and wisps of what seemed like clouds. He reached out to touch them and felt them swirl around his fingers, not tangible._

_What is this place?_

_He looked around him, but all he could see was the same bright mist as far as he could see._

"_Renkin Wizard Kharl," a deep voice spoke aloud._

_He spun around and where there was nothing before his saw a figure rising out of the swirling colors and clouds._

"_Who are you and where am I?"_

"_This place is what you might refer to as Heaven," a new voice answered. He spun around again to see a different figure._

"_Do you realize why you are here?" came a third voice._

"_Do you know what you have done?" asked yet another._

_Kharl was no longer sure where to look. They were all around him, four of them. "What have I done?" he cried out. "Am I dead?"_

"_You are not dead, but at the moment you are no longer alive. There is a balance to the world and you have disturbed it," one of them said._

"_The faeries create life in the world while the demons take it," another one spoke. "Yet you have broken that pattern. You attempted to create a life."_

_Kharl suddenly remembered the events leading up to that point, how he killed Kiryu in an attempt to use his life to create another. "Attempted?" he repeated to himself. "You mean I did not succeed?"_

"_Whether or not you succeed will depend on how you answer us."_

"_To create life, something must be sacrificed."_

"_When something is sacrificed, something is inevitably lost."_

"_You are going against the order of what should be, you are defying the gods themselves."_

_The four voices came from all around him and Kharl was growing dizzy trying to face them. He still could not see them and he ceased trying, and instead he stood still and simply listened as the loud, imposing voices seemingly reverberated within him._

"_I don't understand," Kharl cried. "What are you trying to tell me? Who are you?"_

"_We are the four devas. We are Bishamonten, Zoujouten, Jikokuten, and Koumokuten." _

"_We are charged with keeping the balance of the world."_

"_And I disturbed this balance?" Kharl asked._

"_Yes. You may not yet realize, but the life you created is one that will upset the balance of both Arinas and Dusis, one who will nearly tear the seams of the world apart. His power is unlike any before him."_

"_So I did succeed?" Kharl breathed._

"_You did. But we ask that you destroy this being that you created."_

"_The balance of life cannot be jeopardized."_

_Though he had never even laid eyes on his own creation, he was immediately angry and defensive. "Why? Why should he be destroyed for something he has yet to do? What if I protect him?"_

"_You would take responsibility for the child?"_

"_I would!" he responded without hesitation._

"_Then you would serve us, the four devas?"_

"_Would you do what is necessary to make amends?"_

"_I will do whatever is necessary!" Kharl shouted._

"_Then so be it."_

_The light flared brightly and Kharl had to shield his eyes. The moment they were closed, he found himself slipping back into unconsciousness…_

_There was no way for him to tell how much time had passed when he awoke again. The room was dark, the flames had disappeared. Slowly, Kharl pulled himself up onto his elbows. His whole body ached and his vision swam. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath before opening them again and trying to get a grip on where he was and what had happened. In a rush, the memories of his experiment and his conversation with the devas—now little more than an odd dream to him—returned and he looked around frantically._

_In the center of the circle, wrapped in a set of wings identical to his own, save for the pitch black color, was a young boy. Gone was Kiryu, gone was the blood and the symbols and any remains of his experiment. All that was left was this boy. Kharl hurried to his side and he stared at the peaceful, innocent face of the living being asleep in his arms. He felt his soul resonate deep within him and a sense of love and protectiveness like he had never felt before washed over him. Already, he knew he would treasure this child and never allow any harm to come to him as long as he was alive._

_He picked the boy up and cradled him in his arms. He would have to find a more suitable place for him to sleep—a dark, depressing old chamber like this one wouldn't be suitable at all. Kharl was suddenly realizing how completely unprepared to take care of this child. He had taken hundreds, perhaps thousands of lives before, and often by his own tooth and claw. But to care for something, to struggle to care for a life other than his own, was a concept entirely new and foreign to him._

_He settled on moving to the library, the only place with decent furniture—there was that one chair there which Kiryu had had an unspoken claim over. But now the teacher was dead and the student need no longer heed his will. Kharl opened the door with the whisper of a spell, his arms already preoccupied with a much more important task. Seeing as he couldn't fathom any way one might comfortably sleep in a chair, he sat down in it himself, keeping the boy nestled softly against himself. He extended a careful finger, mindful of his own sharp nail, to gently brush away the strands of hair that covered the boy's face. He had an angelic visage; smooth, pale skin with delicate features framed by dark hair the color of a red dusk and a lock of pure white. He had a small mouth, but large eyes with long, dark eyelashes. Kharl longed to see the color of his eyes, but he would wait. For now, his child would sleep and he would take the time to think about what would happen from there. Already, he knew that their current living conditions would not be suitable. At the very least, proper living quarters would need to be arranged; he would not even consider the idea of returning to live in the forest the way Kharl had in the first years of his life. Already, he was considering the spells he might use to transfigure a pile of rocks into a soft mattress for the boy, when the demon in his arms began to stir._

_At first, it was just a twitch of the wings, but soon they were stretching, testing the muscles and reaching their full length to brush against the ceiling. Then he pulled them back and Kharl held his breath as the little boy stirred and his eyes fluttered open for the very first time. A shining red ruby, a crimson more marvelous than any Kharl had seen before, deeper than blood but brighter than the sunrise, gazed out of focus before he blinked slowly and turned to look at Kharl. The alchemist watched as the boy took in all his features, perceiving the slightest movement in his irises as they took in Kharl's absurd white hair and lavender eyes, roving down to his mouth which was open slightly in shock and from which pointed canines could be observed. Then he glanced sideways at Kharl's own silvery wings, drawn up tightly behind him and he craned his neck to glance at his own wings and then back at Kharl's, comparing, thinking. Already Kharl could tell that the child was clever and calculating in a way Kharl had never been capable of when he was first born._

_Then he spoke. "Who are you?"_

_Kharl gave a little start. He had not expected the boy to speak so suddenly, so quickly after he had been born. If his creation could be called a birth, that is. Though he should have realized already that this demon child was beyond anything he had expected. _

_He took so long in answering that the child in his arms grew restless. His wings fluttered and he glared in confusion. "What are you thinking about? Answer my question!" he demanded._

_He sounded so supercilious that Kharl couldn't stop the smile that cracked across his face. "I am called Kharl. I am the demon who created you."_

"_Created? I was? By you?" Crimson eyes gazed owlishly up at him with an innocent curiosity that contradicted his harsh words earlier._

_Kharl stroked his hair fondly. "Yes. I am an alchemist and I used all my power and knowledge to create you. You are very special, for there has never been anyone like you before. But before we get to that, you need a name."_

"_A name…?" the boy repeated thoughtfully. "I don't know. What would be a good name?"_

_Kharl pondered the question as well. "Let's see. How about… Rigal."_

_The boy smiled, a charming expression that Kharl instantly wanted to see more of. "I like it."_

* * *

"_Rigal!"_

_The boy turned and looked over his shoulder as he flew above the treetops, grinning mischievously as he observed Kharl chasing after him. "Catch me if you can, Kharl!" He faced forward again so he could fly properly, catching another gust of air under his wings. He didn't have to look back to imagine Kharl's fuming expression._

"_This is not funny! Return that book to me right now!"_

_Rigal didn't really understand Kharl's fascination with books and experiments. The older demon would lock himself in his little rooms for days, reading and scribbling something or other down. Every once in a while he would go out to collect specimens for his experiments. Hunting and killing the lesser demons, now that was good fun! Rigal enjoyed that part of Kharl's research, but the rest of it was not at all interesting. So, he made it a point to drag Kharl outside every now and again, even if he had to do it by stealing Kharl's things._

_He flew even faster, stretching out his ebony wings to soar with the wind. He had grown stronger, bigger, smarter. His appearance resembled that of a human ten-year-old, with the exception of his wings, but he had learned how to make those vanish at will, if he so chose. He didn't often bother to conceal them, though. While Rigal didn't look like many other demons who had beast-like qualities, such as fur or scales, and he knew that set him apart, made him superior. The closer to human in appearance a demon was, the more powerful they were, Kharl had told him. And he and Kharl were the most powerful demons he knew of. _

_Kharl had taught him a lot about the world, but there was also a lot that Rigal had taught himself. How to enjoy a chase, for one. "Come on Kharl, you're so slow! You'll never get your book back at this rate!" the boy laughed._

_Kharl growled under his breath and muttered a quick spell. Suddenly, the wind lifting Rigal's wings vanished and he had to flap furiously to keep himself going. "Hey, no fair!"_

_The white haired demon caught up to him easily and grabbed him in mid-air, wrapping his arms around the boy. He let them both fall to the trees below and then settled into some of the taller branches._

_Rigal shook his head to rid his hair of leaves. "You cheated," he pouted, but handed back the book he had taken. "When will you teach me magic?" he asked, changing the subject._

"_Soon," Kharl promised. "When you're able to concentrate properly."_

"_I can concentrate just fine!"_

"_There isn't a single book in the library that you've read all the way through."_

"_Well maybe if they were more interesting, I'd actually want to read them all the way through," he grumbled._

_Kharl chuckled and rubbed the top of his head affectionately. Rigal pushed his hand away stubbornly, wishing Kharl wouldn't treat him like a child, even though he, himself, realized that's exactly what he was._

"_I will give you a book to read tonight. If you can finish the whole thing and actually tell me what it was about, then I will begin to teach you how to use magic."_

_Rigal sniffed. "Fine."_

_Kharl taught him many things this way, using trickery and bribery to make sure Rigal got the basics down._

_Only a few years later, Rigal's desire to learn magic was fully granted. Bright, burning pillars of fire burst through the forest. A small legion of demons of various sorts screeched in agony as their flesh was burned away, writhing and flailing in a desperate attempt to escape the heat, only to crumble into charred black bits moments later. They had come there to challenge the demon they had heard about, a cocky young brat who was getting carried away and claiming to be the most powerful demon in the land. They traveled all that way to put him in his place, only to find that they were no match for his power. He had seemed, for all appearances, a deceptively normal teenage human, except for his great black wings that burst from his shoulder blades and a blood-red gaze._

_Watching from the side, Kharl shook his head with an exasperated sigh as the monsters were quickly destroyed. "There goes another lot. We could've at least saved some of the remains for experimentation, couldn't we?"_

"_A weak bunch like them? What use could they have possibly been?" Rigal snorted._

"_True," Kharl acknowledged. The two began to stroll leisurely back to their abode. They had nothing to fear in their own territory. While Kharl didn't bother to go out of his way to get into fights, the nearby demons knew well enough that they would die a fiery death if they crossed Rigal's path. _

_After learning to harness his power and cast spells of all sorts, the boy quickly developed a fondness for fire magic. It was always his weapon of choice. When he was first learning, he would search out demons to practice on, training and honing his magic. When it came to deceptions, illusion, and alchemy, Kharl was still superior to him, but he was unmatched in regards to offensive spells. It wasn't long when, instead of Rigal having to seek out new opponents, strong demons started to come looking for him. And everytime, he came out victorious._

_However, he did still suffer from injuries every now and again, and everytime Kharl would launch into a ranting lecture for hours on end._

"_You're such a nag," Rigal would complain, but he would sit and listen through to the end, looking properly shame-faced nonetheless._

_He could be childish as much as he could be fearsome._

_One day, he came to Kharl and stated, "I'm going to become a Demon King."_

_Kharl looked up from his notes with a raised eyebrow. "King?"_

"_Yes, a king," he replied matter-of-factly. "You've noticed it, haven't you? The humans are starting to organize themselves, they are growing strong and prosperous while hunting our kind. There is one among them who calls himself their sovereign. And as long as the demons remain divided and scattered, they are nothing more than stupid beasts, easy prey. The demons will need to rise together and teach the humans a lesson. And who better than yours truly?" he grinned._

"_I had no idea you had such noble ideals for the demon race," Kharl commented sarcastically._

"_Indeed, I am shocked myself," he agreed. Leaning forward conspiratorially, he whispered, "The demons of the forest are talking amongst themselves and the rumors have reached me. They came up with the idea themselves, realizing that they will not last long if someone with the power to command them does not appear. The position is already set; all I have to do is step forward." He swept his shoulders back and raised his chin proudly. "And don't you agree I would make a splendid king?" he asked vainly._

_Kharl was both amused and thoughtful. While the demons had not had a single ruler in a great long time, there was no denying that they would need one. But Rigal? His Rigal, a Demon King? He could hardly comprehend it, while at the same time it suited his companion perfectly._

"_But really, what I came to ask of you was this." Rigal took Kharl's hand in his and looked down at him seriously. "If I do become a king, will you agree to serve me, and help me in all my endeavors?"_

_Kharl would have brushed him off entirely if not for the completely serious look in Rigal's eyes. He met Kharl's own lavender stare head-on. He could read a myriad of emotions stirring within him: determination, anxiety, hope, fear, but most of all desire. Desire for what, Kharl could not be sure, but either way, he knew there was only one answer he could ever give Rigal._

_In all seriousness, he stood from his chair and knelt before the younger demon. "You know that wherever you go, whatever you do, I will follow. No matter what others call you, you will always be my Lord and Master." He tried to convey the truth of his words as much as he could with his eyes and his posture._

_Rigal looked at him for a long while, before he nodded and smiled. He didn't say a word, but Kharl knew that he was grateful. _

_The very next day, he barged into the library once again, but it was a common enough event and Kharl didn't really mind._

"_Kharl, I want to build a castle!" he declared._

_The white haired demon stared at him for a long minute, blinking quizzically. "Oh dear, you're serious, aren't you?"_

"_Very," the young demon grinned._

_Kharl shook his head in wonder. And so, as was often the case, Rigal got his way. _

_It wasn't very hard at all for them to enlist the help of all the nearby demons from the forest. It was an unspoken truth that they would be killed if they did not agree, so they all came together to build the greatest structure that Arinas had ever seen. It took many days and nights of work, with Rigal throwing all his ideas and plans at Kharl, who took responsibility for all the planning and set about to make them happen. The lower demons were dealt tasks to be completed, and with the supervision of Kharl, the last towers were built and the final stone was set. The structure they had erected was the largest and most elaborate in the continent. A great entrance hall led to many stairways and side hallways. A throne room and a kitchen and dining area, for formality only, were located to the north, while grand meeting rooms and guest rooms littered the rest of the main floor. Below remained the library and study that had been there originally—Kharl saw no need to destroy them, and so left them as is with a few alterations. Upstairs there were many more rooms, all serving various purposes, but there were only two main bedrooms—one for Kharl in the East Wing and another for Rigal in the West Wing. It was ridiculous, considering neither of them slept much and they'd never needed actual bedrooms before. Not to mention a kitchen._

_But Rigal wanted to be king, with all the grandeur that went with it. He even dressed the part. Kharl had no idea where all his clothes came from. Fancy robes, silk tops, leather jackets, belts, boots, tassles and jewelry of all sorts. He must have looted a whole caravan of traders, Kharl thought. The ruby-eyed demon wore each piece magnificently, as if it were tailored to him._

_Demons came from all around to pay homage to their new king, searching for favor with him. Kharl wandered out from his study one morning to find Rigal sitting at the throne he had made, with a grotesque, horned demon kneeling before him._

"_My Lord," it spoke. "I come before you as a humble servant. Please listen to what I have to say."_

_Rigal waved his hand lazily and Kharl resisted the urge to roll his eyes. _

_The demon took no notice, but continued, "Great Demon King, the leader of the humans has risen up and declared that he will rid the continent of demons for the sake of his people. Already, he has killed many of my friends. I beg of you to rid us of the human vermin!"_

"_Hmm, is that so?" he replied with an air of boredom, but Kharl could tell that he was interested. He'd become the King because of this human, afterall._

"_Please, my Lord! You are the hope of demonkind! You are the most powerful, most majestic demon of us all! If you would do battle with the human, we would surely be victorious!"_

"_Tch, be quiet already! Groveling will not make me favor you." He stood up, the silk robes he was wearing pooled around at his feet. With a flash of his eyes, the demon in front of him started to scream and writhe in pain. Rigal watched for a moment, before he sighed and released him from the spell. "Leave, before I lose all my patience with you."_

"_Yes, my Lord, I'm sorry, my Lord," the demon whimpered as he backed out quickly._

_When he was gone, Kharl approached his master. Rigal looked troubled, though knowing Rigal, it could be something as trivial as what he wanted to eat for his next meal to how he was planning to deal with the human resistance. Kharl placed a hand on his shoulder. Rigal's gaze turned to look at him and he stepped close, close enough to embrace, but his arms remained still at his sides._

"_Kharl," he whispered._

"_My King?" Kharl responded in turn. It ended up sounding more like a question, though._

"_I am going to go see this human king. I will see what it is that makes him so great. And then I will kill him," he spoke fiercely._

"_I will help you—"_

"_No!" Rigal cut him off. "No. I will kill him, and then I will return here, where you will be waiting."_

_Kharl blinked and nodded. He did not know what was troubling Rigal, and just the fact that he didn't know made Kharl troubled. But for now, he would obey his king; it was what he had decided._

_He hoped he would not regret his decision._

* * *

Right, so this chapter is a little late. The fall semester has begun and I'm taking 18 units, more than I've ever taken before! My sanity may be questionable. Or, if it isn't now, it will be by the time mid-terms come around. XD Also, my hard drive crashed, and while I did have this story backed up, I was without my computer for a week. It put a lot of stuff behind schedule. :P Anyway, enough with the excuses!

In any case, this chapter is longer than the others, and frankly I was planning to fit the entire flashback from when Rath/"Rigal" was created to when he was killed by the King of Arinas, but obviously… it's going to take more than one chapter to tell this tale, haha. If anyone was confused, the first part was Kharl's memories being conveyed to Garfakcy and after the first line break it was a flashback so that I could write about things Kharl would not have been privy to (though ironically, the part to which that most applies to has not yet been written, pfft). Sorry for all the italics. XP Though I absolutely HATE having to make up names for characters. Rigal was something I really thought about, and I took it from how the Japanese would romanize "regal" which seems like a word that Mineko Ohkami would make a name out of. XD I really just considered calling him Rath, but it says quite plainly in volume 11 that Rath was not his real name. Sigh. I looked all through the untranslated author's notes at the end of volume 11 for maybe a hint to his past, but all she wrote about Rath was some stuff pertaining to his revival scene and a bit about Kaistern. (There was oddly a lot about the revelation of Tetheus being the brother of Shydeman and Shyrendora, though.) I have this dreadful feeling that one day I will finally translate all the author's notes and discover some big hint that totally contradicts some part of this story. XD

So, a lot of this chapter is going purely on my own speculation, and some hints thrown around in an interview with Mineko Ohkami (namely, the part about the devas). Some parts of this chapter I like and were easy to write, whereas others... they just don't flow for me. :/ Oh well. I originally considered creating an entirely separate multi-chapter fic about Rath's life as King of Arinas, but I figured it would be too much to do while writing this story and one of them would inevitably be ignored. Maybe one day, though.

Anyway, I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter! I haven't yet decided whether or not I want to continue this flashback in the next chapter or if I want to switch over to what's going on with the other characters and come back to it later. If you guys have any preference, please tell me so in a review! I will certainly listen to any opinions you guys have! Also, I feel I should apologize because I think I told someone that there would be a Rath/Cesia moment a couple chapters ago, and that scene is still in the plans, but it just kept getting pushed back. XD Originally, I don't think I was planning for this to be more than ten chapters or so, but at this rate there will probably be over twenty. I just keep thinking up more things I want to write about!

Long author's note is long. See you all next chapter!


	8. A Matter of Trust

Early morning light is casting it's warm glow through their window curtains and Cesia's long eyelashes flutter briefly before she stretches languidly and rolls over in the absurdly large and luxurious bed she shares with her husband. Her husband. She peaks up through the mess of curls framing her face to watch as he continues to sleep.

Rath's dark hair is tousled and messy and he has an arm flung out in front of him, reaching towards her, and the other is curling around the corner of his pillow. His face is peaceful in sleep, no longer plagued by nightmares and darkness. She likes to think that it's because he has her now, but it's a selfish thought. Still, she prides herself on being one of the few he will let his guard down with, and knows she is the only one he has ever been intimate with. She smiles and lets her fingers ghost along his hairline, around the shell of his pointed ear and across his jaw line. He stirs in his sleep but leans into her touch instead of turning away. She grins, but then decides it's time to wake up.

She pulls the covers back, gently. It takes longer for her to get ready than it does for him and he could use a few more moments of rest; there would be time enough for duties and busywork later that day. So she pulls her long legs out and reaches for the floor, her nightgown almost a hindrance around her long limbs. There is a vanity set at the other end of the room and she sits herself in front of it, reaching for her hairbrush to tame the nighttime tangles that always knotted themselves in her hair. It was a long process, but she had done it nearly everyday for her whole life and was used to it. Some days she took the extra time to sweep it up with pins or add various ornaments. Today, she decided on a simple braid.

She also had to decide what to wear. She found herself standing in her brassiere and undergarments, looking through her closet for something suitable. Today she wanted to go out into the city and she needed something plain, something that wouldn't stand out. Most of her dresses were too formal; they made a great impression if she was trying to look like royalty, however they wouldn't do for trying to blend in with the common people. It used to be so easy, something she didn't even need to think about when most of her outfits were old and travel-worn anyway. Nowadays she often found the need to ask a maid or two to assist her in dressing, doing up fancy laces or just holding up her voluminous skirts so she didn't get lost in them.

She briefly considered asking to borrow an outfit from someone. She didn't have many options, though. She might have asked Tintlet if she were there, but as it were, she was currently returned to the Faerie Forest. It wouldn't be worth asking Delte, as the fortune-teller had lovely dresses, but they simply wouldn't fit. The girl was too petite, Cesia thought with a sigh as she glanced down at her own ample chest. Kitchel's clothes would fit, but while Cesia hadn't always worn the most modest outfits, Kitchel left almost nothing to the imagination. Cesia was left with few choices.

A pair of warm arms snaked their way around her waist and Cesia felt a familiar mouth press against the nape of her neck. She hadn't even heard him approach her.

"G'morning," Rath said softly, he speech still slurred by the last dregs of sleep. Cesia felt his lips form the words as he spoke them. He buried his face in her shoulder and breathed deeply. She placed her hands on his and smiled in amusement. Despite how regally he tried to act most of the time, he still had a childish side that enjoyed cuddling, especially when he was still sleepy.

"Good morning sleepy-head," she replied fondly.

"What're you doing?" he asked.

"Trying to decide on something to wear for today. None of my dresses really seem suitable…"

Rath blinked. "What's today?"

"Don't tell me you forgot!" she turned to look at him accusatorily. He backed up a bit with a confused and slightly guilty look on his face that said he had absolutely no idea what she was talking about. She sighed exasperatedly. "Honestly, I expect you'll probably forget our anniversary too—"

"Will not!"

"Will too!"

"It's two weeks after the spring equinox, I remember!"

She harrumphed and turned around to look at her selection of dresses once more. "You still forgot about today."

"Today is…" he trailed off.

"The day you promised we could go into town," she supplied for him.

"Oh. Oh, that's right! I didn't forget, I just, um…"

"You forgot," she contradicted him. "But I'll forgive you if you help me pick an outfit that I can wear into town without looking like a pompous aristocrat."

"Who, you? Nah," he teased. "Pompous, maybe. But an aristocrat? Never."

She glared playfully. "Three words, Rath. Pot, kettle, black."

Ignoring her, he pulled an amber-colored dress from the rack and held the fabric out. "How about this one, then? If you take off the overcoat that's supposed to go with it, it's pretty simple, yeah? Kind of… peasant-y?"

"But it doesn't have any sleeves," she frowned.

"Just pair it with a different jacket, then. Or wear a blouse under it. Here!" Unexpectedly, he grabbed one of his own fitted shirts, an off-white cotton shirt that he often wore when he trained, but it was neutral enough that a woman could wear it without looking odd. He held it next to the dress and oddly enough, it seemed like quite a fetching combination.

She quirked an eyebrow. "Honestly, Rath. Your fashion sense…."

He grinned. "You love my fashion sense. And I love seeing you wear my clothes."

A faint blush spread over her cheeks. "You! Go away and let me get dressed!"

He pouted, but complied, heading to their private washroom to perform his own morning ritual. When he was gone, she held his shirt up to herself in the mirror, enjoying the smooth comfort of the fabric beneath her hands and the faint scent of Rath that permeated it. She would inevitably smell like him all day. She began slipping her arms into the sleeves eagerly.

* * *

Rath yawned and stretched his arms over his head, still a bit tired. This morning he wore a simple, dark red tunic over black trousers, belted at the waist. He may have been the master of the Light Dragon, but he still looked best in dark colors. The outfit was also very light and comfortable and he had half a thought to go and spar with the dragon fighters for a bit, before he went into town with Cesia.

But before that. There was a serious matter that needed attending to.

He opened the door to his private study and glanced around. Even though it was his room, it still made him feel a bit small. Thatz was not there yet, despite the fact that Rath had sent for him nearly half an hour ago. He sighed. No matter, there was always paperwork to keep him busy. It had become an unfortunate constant in his life, and gave him a great appreciation for Rune, who had even more paperwork to deal with than he did.

He was just reading over some of the latest expense reports when there was a knock at the door. Without waiting for a reply, it opened and Thatz poked his head in past the frame. "You called for me, my Lord?" he asked with mock seriousness, bowing into the room and then standing up to his full height with a grin.

Rath grinned back. While Rune often went out of his way to try to treat Rath like he was supposed to (even though he often failed and fell back on his old habit of yelling at Rath like he was an insubordinate child), Thatz never made any pretense of treating Rath like he was anything less than one of his best friends, royalty or not. Rath was quietly relieved by it. If Thatz, of all people, had suddenly decided to become deferential and subservient towards him after he took up the throne, he might possibly have hurled his crown off the balcony and been done with it.

"Yeah, come in. You're just in time to help me procrastinate on the list of expenses for the dragon fighters. While it's good to know that stuff still gets destroyed when I'm not the one doing the destroying, it makes me nostalgic for old times, and I don't think Rune would be too happy if I added to the amount of practice equipment that needs replacing."

"Too true."

Rath nodded. "Well, close the door and have a seat. I actually do have something serious to discuss with you. It needs to remain between us. For now, at least." He made sure his features conveyed the importance of what he was about to say and knew that Thatz would catch on. Of all the members of the Dragon Tribe, Rath knew that Thatz had the ability to be the most discreet and was not only unexpectantly observant and knowledgeable, but he never abused his knowledge. This made him one of the most trustworthy as well.

Thatz looked at him curiously, eyeing the expression on his friend's face, and closing the door as asked. He said nothing, waiting for Rath to continue.

"I am asking you to do this, not as your king, but as your friend." Rath looked down at his hands pensively. His brow furrowed as he debated with himself internally. He was searching for just the right words. "You have every right to refuse, I won't force you. But if you're willing…"

"Just get on with it, Rath!" Thatz rolled his eyes at his friend, who was obviously just putting off saying whatever it was he was really trying to say. "Sometimes you are too melodramatic."

Rath glared, but there was no real heat to it. "Fine. What I want to ask you is if you would be willing to return to Arinas."

Thatz blinked. "Arinas? Why?"

"There is… a demon there. Kharl, the Renkin Wizard. He's a demon alchemist and also the One-Winged Angel Rune was searching for. He lives in Arinas."

"And you want me to… what? To kill him?"

Again, Rath seemed to hesitate. "If you can. But he is very dangerous, and it won't be easy. You have good judgement. If you think it isn't possible, just gather whatever information you can—you're one of the most observant people I know, so if you can't get rid of him, I know you'll be able to pull reconnaissance off better than anyone."

Thatz ignored the compliment and looked at Rath, picking apart his expression. It was more serious than he'd seen it in a long time. There was something he wasn't telling him. Again.

"Okay. So why send me alone, if he's so dangerous?"

"Because I trust you."

That caught Thatz off-guard. It was true that he was one of the few in Rath's inner circle, and it had certainly taken him a lot of time and a lot of hard work to get there. But for Rath to admit it himself was rare. It wasn't something he said to just anyone. Actually, he might not have ever said it ever. It also only cemented the idea in Thatz's head that there was much more to this demon alchemist that Rath wasn't revealing.

Thatz leaned forward. "Alright Rath. Now you've really got my attention. What is it that you aren't telling me?"

Rath glared, and for a moment, he looked like the old Rath, the one with all the secrets, the one who wouldn't let anyone get close. And for that moment, Thatz was terrified that Rath would begin putting up new walls, walls that he would have to break down all over again. But then it passed, and his face softened.

"I…" His voice caught and the dragon lord cleared his throat. "Besides Kharl, only one other person knows this secret. I revealed it to Cesia shortly after we defeated Nadil; I couldn't not tell her, after everything we had been through. But other than that… I assume Nadil never told anyone." He shrugged. "I'm getting off-topic. Just remember, what I am about to tell you must not, can not leave this room." He lowered his voice and looked at Thatz beseechingly. "Promise me, Thatz."

Thatz leaned forward, making sure to meet Rath's gaze unwaveringly. "Whatever it is, you know you can trust me. I'll always be on your side, Rath."

Rath nodded gratefully, shot a glance towards the window, as though expecting someone to be there, before focusing on Thatz again. "Kharl has appeared to me several times. Before, I didn't understand why. Now I do. Nadil revealed it to me in his castle, before it was destroyed."

"And you believed him?" Thatz interrupted.

"What he said was true. Everything adds up. I have no doubt in my mind." He took a deep breath. "Before I was brought into the Dragon Clan, and even before I was the demon that rampaged over Dusis, I had another life. I don't remember that time, but I realize that what Kharl had tried to do once when he appeared to me was to bring those memories to the surface. And even though I can't recall them, it's like I can… feel them inside me. A truth that's locked away, deep inside, but it's still a part of me. If that makes sense?"

Thatz nodded, encouraging him to go on.

"So I know that Nadil was telling me the truth. Once upon a time, I was the Demon King of Arinas. I was created by Kharl and together we ruled over the demons of the Eastern continent. And I was killed by the King of Arinas." He laughed ironically. "And now I somehow have become the Dragon Lord of Dusis." Rath finished speaking and waited to see how Thatz would respond.

The former thief was watching him very carefully as well. Thatz was trying to decide on the best words to use. Finally, he decided on, "Okay."

Rath stared. "That's it? 'Okay?' Just like that?"

"Just like that," Thatz nodded. "I've passed the point where you can surprise me any longer. The only thing to do is accept it, and move on. You are the former Demon King of Arinas, but now you're the Dragon Lord of Dusis. Your old partner wants you back, but obviously you have other responsibilities and so the best course of action is to kill him before he causes any more damage. I understand. Did you think I was going to out you in front of the whole court and demand to have you removed from the throne?" he asked with a grin.

Rath shrugged nervously. "I didn't know what to expect."

Thatz stood and moved to where Rath was sitting. He plopped himself down on the arm of Rath's chair so he could lean over and ruffle the king's hair.

"Owww, Thatz! Stop!"

When Thatz released him, he leaned back to see the normally very presentable and handsome lord with a messy bird's nest on his head and an annoyed glare directed at him.

Thatz laughed. "You should know by now, Rath. You can always count on your friends to support you, guide you, and make sure you don't look get too used to being treated like royalty."

"Apparently I can also count on them to make me look undignified."

Thatz smirked at him as if to say, _well__what__did__you__expect?_He got up and strolled over to the door. "So I'll set off this afternoon, yeah? Sooner rather than later."

"Sorry to send you away so soon. I know you just got back," Rath apologized.

"It's my job, yeah?" Thatz replied in a forgiving tone. He opened the door to let himself out, but before he left, he turned back. "Oh, and Rath?"

Rath looked at him expectantly.

"You should tell Rune too," Thatz said seriously. "Don't let this be like the last time you kept secrets from people."

A small sigh. "When he returns," he agreed reluctantly.

With one more parting grin, Thatz stepped out and closed the door again behind him.

* * *

Bierrez checked his reflection in the tall, gilded mirror for the umpteenth time. His blond hair was perfectly spiked in the back and his orange fringe framed his face nicely. As always. He frowned and his mirror self frowned back. Then he purposely ran his hands through his hair to mess it up. The former demon sighed. He didn't look any worse, just more roguish. The castle maids loved to tell him such. He shook his head despairingly and then sat in a chair in the large sitting room, tapping a foot rhythmically, the solid boot creating a muffled thump on the carpeted floor. He was waiting for the royal couple to appear, as he had volunteered to be their escort as they visited the capital city. Sometimes he wondered if he was a masochist.

"Ah, there you are Bierrez!"

The Red Officer turned at the voice, automatically standing and sweeping into a low bow. "My queen. You look lovely this morning."

He noticed her pink cheeks with some satisfaction as she glared. "What have I told you about being so formal? Being so polite doesn't suit you, Bierrez."

He shrugged. "I mean it though. Not a single word of lie."

"I think we both know what a way with words you have."

In his mind, he recalled all of the pathetic half-confessions he had made to her in the past. "Yes. My eloquence is unmatched," he deadpanned.

"A perfect politician," she agreed seriously. She looked in the mirror that Bierrez himself had just been using moments ago. Tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear, she said, "Rath will be coming shortly; I just saw Thatz heading to his room to pack a few things. Apparently, he is to be sent off again, though I can't think of any place that needs our attention at the moment."

That caught Bierrez's attention. As the leader of the officers, there was very little he didn't know about, and he had not heard anything about having Thatz sent on another mission. "Thatz's leaving again? So soon?"

Cesia grinned at him. "Sad to see him go?"

He scoffed. "Thatz? The less he's around, the better. He gets on my nerves." That was only half-true. Thatz was keen. He noticed things that no one else did, things Bierrez would rather others didn't see. And so the Blue Officer tended to get under his skin more often than not. Despite that, most of their banter was just that: banter. Bierrez was reluctant to admit it, but he enjoyed the other man's company. Aside from Gil, he was the closest thing to a friend Bierrez had within the Dragon Tribe. He would never admit that out loud, though.

Cesia looked at him knowingly. "If you want to say good-bye, Rath and I will wait for you," she offered.

"No thanks."

"Fine. I get it. You don't want to admit how you really feel."

He looked at her oddly. "And what is that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing!" she sing-songed.

He decided to ignore whatever she was implying and went to stand by the window, looking out at the palace grounds. He heard her make an indignant noise and then the ruffle of her skirt as she sat down on one of the chairs available.

It would seem, however, that they wouldn't need to go looking for Thatz to wish him well; he appeared on his own only minutes later. Bierrez turned his head at the approaching footsteps to observe the Officer of Foreign Affairs. He strode into the room wearing a traveler's cloak, the length of it hiding his missing arm. His boots were well-worn and none of his outfit held the flair that would make one associate him with the Dragon Clan. Wherever he was going, apparently it was necessary for him to travel incognito.

When he entered, he gave a bow. "My lady," he offered with a grin. "And Bierrez," he added like an afterthought, with a nod to his colleague.

"Thatz," she curtsied in reply. "Come to say farewell?"

"I just wanted to wish you a pleasant trip into town. And if you see the bar master, tell him I'm sorry I won't be coming by for a while. I can't do it myself, I'm afraid. He'd be sure to ply me with food and drink until I spill all of my secrets, and I really don't have time for that. Places to be, demons to kill, all that good stuff." He winked.

Bierrez raised an eyebrow. "And just where is it you're off to?"

"It's confidential, my friend."

A second eyebrow joined the first and Bierrez crossed his arms. He had hoped to look intimidating, but it didn't work on Thatz (it never did), since he only offered an amused grin in reply. While outwardly it seemed light-hearted and teasing, in reality Bierrez was a bit worried. Whether he liked it or not, part of Bierrez's job was to be aware of pretty much everything the other officers were doing. The fact that not only was Bierrez unaware of something, but he was blatantly being denied information, made him suspicious.

Another set of footsteps alerted them all to Rath's presence as he strode into the room. He stopped when he noticed all three of them looking at him.

"What?" he asked.

Cesia went to him and took his arm. "You're late, we've been waiting."

"I had stuff to do! Important stuff."

"Of course you did," she agreed indulgently. He glared at her, but she just led him out towards the castle doorway with an air of nonchalance.

Bierrez waited until they were out of sight before turning his attention to Thatz and pinning him with a glare. "What's going on?"

The other man shook his head. "I'm sorry Bierrez. But I really can't tell you, at least not yet. However…" He cast a meaningful glance in the direction the royal couple had just left. "Keep an extra eye on Rath while I'm gone, will you?"

Bierrez wanted to grab Thatz by the shoulders and ask—no, demand—what Thatz was talking about, but the former knight had already swept through the doorway ahead of him, his cloak billowing in his wake. He put a hand to his head, rubbing his eyes. He hated secrets. He was going to have a headache by the end of the day, he could already tell.

* * *

Delte was shifting nervously, playing with the folds of her dress as she waited in the corridor.

"I should have known word would reach you."

She spun around and saw Thatz, already dressed in his traveling clothes, smiling at her. She smiled back.

"You didn't think you'd be able to sneak out without saying good-bye to me, did you?" she teased.

"Never," he grinned. He stepped forward to place a kiss on her forehead. She couldn't see the expression on his face, but his voice was serious and reassuring. "Don't worry about me while I'm gone. I'll be back before you know it."

"That's what you always say," she muttered, stepping close so that she could take his hand in hers. "But I still miss you."

"I miss you too," he murmured into her curls. He allowed himself to inhale her perfume once more before stepping back to a more appropriate distance. Even though he was pretty sure half the castle knew about their relationship already, they tried to be discreet. He looked at her, strawberry-blond curls framing her petite face while her large, doe eyes looked up at him trustingly. Sometimes he wondered what a pretty faerie like her saw in a guy like him. Her hands were still around his and he shifted them so that he was holding hers, then leaned down to place another kiss on her knuckles. "I promise I will return to you soon. I always do."

Then he rose and turned away with a lingering glance, so that the image of her, soft and lovely in the warm sunlight, was burned into his mind to take with him on his journey.

* * *

The town was a bustle of activity, just like Rath remembered it. People hurried about, traders hauling wooden carts that wobbled along the cobblestone streets, women doing their shopping at various kiosks ands stands, children rushing about between the legs of pedestrians as parents and older siblings called after them, and laborers working away under the heat of the midday sun, while elderly folk sat around smoking and chatting with each other under the shade of canopies. There was much to see, much to buy, and tons of people willing to stop and chat, even though they did not recognize them as the Dragon Lord and Lady. It was just how they wanted it.

Rath watched fondly as Cesia chatted with a woman selling fabrics in various shades and patterns. She wouldn't be able to spend too much money, since they weren't supposed to be seen as a wealthy couple, but he already knew he would probably end up indulging his wife in some new clothes and jewelry, and inevitably he knew that Bierrez would glare at him as he did so.

Well, Bierrez would probably glare at him no matter what he did. That was simply how their relationship worked. Theirs had become a complicated relationship, more out of necessity than anything else. They didn't like each other, but they had each developed a grudging respect for the other, born of common goals and battles hard won. But what Rath had come to realize was that Bierrez didn't trust Rath and so Rath trusted Bierrez to be mistrustful. He should probably resent it, but instead he was relieved that, while he had the loyalty and friendship of most, that didn't mean he could be careless or act out of line. Bierrez would always be watching to make sure he was a good king. And a good husband.

"Darling, come here!" Cesia called, purposefully avoiding using his name. Rath winced at the epithet. They had never used pet names with each other. Insults, yes. But never any sort of term of endearment unless it was dripping with sarcasm.

Nonetheless, he obligingly went to her. She was holding up a fabric in a yellow-cream color with thin, white stripes running across it.

"Don't you think this would make a lovely dress for summer? The color is quite lovely, and it's so nice and simple…"

He agreed, though in his mind he was imagining how nice it would look with her warm brown hair, perhaps pulled into a loose braid like it was now. Or left to flow freely down her back, maybe.

"Your wife has good taste, sir," said the seller. She held up the fabric next to Cesia. "See how well it goes with her complexion? And her eyes! Such a lovely bright color."

Rath shrugged in a show of submission. "How much then?"

The woman beamed. "Two pieces a yard or fifteen for the whole ream." As Rath fumbled for the coins, she whispered in mock conspiracy to Cesia. "He looks like a keeper, this one here."

She grinned in response. "He is."

Rath blushed scarlet and handed the woman her money, quick to shuffle away to the next stall. Cesia picked up the fabric and followed after happily.

"May I carry that for you?"

She turns to look at Bierrez who appeared at her side. He offered a hand out to take the fabric from her and she smiled. "Why Bierrez, I didn't realize you were such a gentleman." She plopped it into his waiting arms.

"More than Rath is, in any case."

She sighed. Sometimes she really got tired of the rivalry between the two. But it wasn't so much their bickering that she minded; on the contrary, she would probably find it cute if it wasn't for one obvious little detail. Bierrez had feelings for her. She didn't know how she had never realized it when they were still both a part of Nadil's army, but now it was apparent that Bierrez's dislike of Rath stemmed mostly from jealousy rather than actual dislike. And she wasn't sure what to do about it. She'd made her choice long ago, and he knew that.

So instead, she said nothing. Bierrez would not want her pity.

"No defense for him?" the red officer taunted, not picking up on the meaning of her silence.

"He doesn't need me to defend him, Bierrez." She sent him a warning look. This was meant to be a fun and relaxing outing, and she would not hesitate to use her authority over him to make him return to the castle if he was just going to be spiteful the whole time.

He got the message, expression changing to one of contrition in an instant. He knew his behavior was poor, though he refused to outright apologize.

She wandered away and over to another stall of jewelry, beaded bracelets and necklaces gleaming in the sunlight. Rath returned from where he'd been examining a table of knives. He stood by Bierrez, not saying a word as they both waited for Cesia to either beckon for him for his opinion on whatever bit of jewelry caught her eye or move on to the next seller's wares.

Bierrez figured that would be as good a time as any to ask the question that had been on his mind since they left the castle.

"So. Where is Thatz off to?"

Rath shot him a sideways glance, but did not betray anything by his expression.

"I believe Thatz told you that was confidential information, didn't he?"

"He did, and I'm not satisfied with that. I want to know what's going on. It's my job to know, in fact. Even if you don't like it, that's a fact."

"It has nothing to do with you personally, Bierrez," Rath replied, almost amused. "And you will find out, in time. But not now. For now, please just pretend to respect my wishes and don't push this. I will tell all the officers eventually."

Bierrez gave a small noise that could be interpreted loosely as reluctant consent, and so Rath decided the matter was put to rest and walked forward to pay for the string of beads his wife had looped around her wrist. She laughed at something Rath said to the craftsman, and the former demon admired the way her whole face lit up, a wide smile reaching across her face and crinkling the skin around her eyes.

Sometimes Bierrez hated the Dragon Clan. Even though he hadn't been a loyal member of Nadil's Army, he had never been sympathetic to the Dragon Tribe either. They fought against him and killed many demons he knew. He hated how they had killed hundreds of demons simply because they were demons. He hated how superior they could act, how pitying and self-important they often were. But the one thing he could not deny was that Cesia had never looked like that before coming to them. And maybe it was that which made him both love and hate them most of all.

* * *

Idk why, I just keep writing about Thatz. XD I love him, okay? (I'm sorry, Rune! Wherever you are in this story at the moment, I love you too!)

Umm, super late update, I'm sorry! This semester was my busiest yet and I feel like this past week I did nothing but study for finals! But now the semester is over and I officially have time again, whee! (Or at least until the next semester starts again. But I'll cross that bridge later.) I know last chapter's flashback is unfinished, and I was undecided as to whether or not to write that next or go with this. And no one reviewed last chapter, so I just decided for myself and this part came out easier. XD

Also, some music that I listened to while writing this chapter: "Tri Martolod" and "La Jument de Michao" by Nolwenn Leroy, as well as "Mechty Dreams" by Varvara. I dunno, I was in a mood.


	9. The Demon King of Arinas Part II

_Over time, Kharl realized that the relationship between them was slowly changing. Once, Kharl had thought of Rigal as his child, something like a son or a younger brother. At the very least, he was family and he was sure of that. Kharl had never even thought to question where he stood in the eyes of the boy. But now, Rigal was growing older and maturing. His boyish features sharpened and transformed from innocent to dangerous. Once his eyes were filled with innocence and boyish curiosity, but now were the calculating eyes of a leader, a hunter. His dark red hair grew out until it became a silky cascade that fell down his back and had to be tied back. He looked like the king he professed to be. Rarely now, did he hide his magnificent wings and he flew gracefully over their continent, keeping watch over all that he considered to be his. He was beautiful and growing more independent by the day, which meant he depended on Kharl less and less. _

_What did Rigal think of him? Where did Kharl stand? It used to be that Kharl could be totally confident in his importance to Rigal, so the very fact that he was unsure of this made him anxious. It was a question that nagged at Kharl's thoughts and he pushed it away. He didn't want to think about what might happen if Rigal one day decided Kharl was no longer necessary. He could become like Kiryu, betrayed and murdered for his own purposes. Or even worse, he might simply be cast away entirely, unwanted and ignored. To be ignored by Rigal would be worse than death. He could no longer imagine living his life without Rigal at his side._

_Rumors of the King of Arinas grew more numerous every day, and whispers of his power and what it meant for the demons reached their ears on an almost daily basis. Rigal gathered information, sneaking away from the castle whenever Kharl became preoccupied with some experiment or other. Kharl knew where he was going—he was visiting the human city. Observing the human king._

"_Rigal," Kharl said one afternoon._

_The red-haired demon turned his head incrementally to show that he was listening._

"_What is it that you are planning? Why won't you just kill him and be done with it?" He didn't have to mention the King for Rigal to know who Kharl was referring to._

_He smirked. "Worried, Kharl?"_

"_I am."_

_His gaze found Kharl's and he stood up, no longer smirking. He walked closer to Kharl and reached out with a single clawed finger, stroking along the side of Kharl's cheek and down to his jawline. "Don't. I'll be fine." Then he smiled, his sweet and innocent smile, and walked away._

* * *

Centuries ago, before Arinas became a forgotten land and before the Demon Lord of Dusis became known and feared throughout the continent, two demons met in secret and forged an agreement.

The castle had stood for ages—forgotten and crumbling in the wasteland of Kainaldia, beneath a glaring purple sky. No one remembered who built it. It may have been demon-made or it may even have been constructed by human hands, before the demons appeared to seize the land for their own. But now, even the demons had abandoned it, leaving its dusty corridors and debris-filled halls for more sinister locations closer to human villages where they could hunt and terrorize the people. There were none so endeavoring as to claim the castle for their own. Until now.

"It's not much to look at, is it?" Lazy, long-fingered hands brushed over a pile of rotting furniture. The speaker didn't care to look back, showing either considerable confidence or considerable foolishness.

"Indeed," Rigal replied, stepping out from the shadows into a beam of daylight that infiltrated the gloom from a hole in the roof. "To be honest, I'm appalled that you bothered to invite a guest here before getting the chance to spruce the place up a bit. There isn't even a spot to sit for a cup of tea and a quiet chat."

The other turned around now, golden eyes glinting with amusement. "My apologies. The next time you visit, I'll be sure to have proper arrangements made beforehand."

"What makes you think there will be a second visit?"

"Call it instinct. I think you'll be interested in the proposal I have."

Rigal smirked, "Let's hear it, then."

"So hasty," his companion chided. "Come, talk with me a bit. I think I would like to get to know the Demon King of Arinas a bit first."

"I'm not sure I trust you."

"You shouldn't. But you don't have to trust me to talk to me," he replied.

Rigal frowned. "Let's not play any word games. Just tell me what it is you wish to say, or I might just leave."

"As you wish." But he didn't elaborate for many moments, he simply regarded Rigal with openly curious and admiring eyes. Rigal wanted to say something or spread his wings a bit to relieve the tension in his his body, coiled to fight at the slightest hint of danger.

Finally, "You hold the title of Demon King, the most powerful in Arinas and ruler over all demons there. Tell me, do you fear death?"

"No."

"Really? I fear death. I fear that my enemies will take my life before I've successfully claimed my victories. I fear that one day I will not be the one with the advantage and someone else will be one step ahead of me. So I need to get a step ahead of them."

"Is this all hypothetical?" Rigal snorted.

"So quick to scoff. But you should fear death more than I; already your enemies are making themselves known. The King of Arinas is powerful, yes?"

He narrowed his eyes in a glare. "I'll have his head soon enough."

"Perhaps. But what if you could be guaranteed victory, a soul that can't be destroyed?" the other proposed. "What if I told you that there was a way to keep your soul safe outside of your body, so that if even if your body was destroyed, you could still be restored?"

Rigal glared suspiciously. "It sounds too good to be true. If such a thing were possible, why have I not heard of it before now?"

"It is not a simple process. It requires two souls who are compatible, so that their souls may be split and shared between them. That way, if one dies, a part of his soul is still safe within the other. But finding two such souls is very difficult."

"And you're saying that you and I are two such compatible souls." It was meant to be a question, but said aloud, it didn't come out that way.

The man grinned. "Of course. What souls could be more compatible than those of the Demon King of Arinas and the Demon Lord of Dusis?"

* * *

_Kharl froze outside the wide doors of the castle, his hand suspended in mid-air. He hadn't been gone long, he only left to gather some materials for his latest experiment. But immediately he could tell that something was different, something was wrong. There was a strange scent in the air, mixed with the salty tang of blood. The stench of death was not uncommon in a demon's lair, but there was something different about this, something that put all of his senses on high-alert. Kharl's eyes dilated and his claws extended. His wings flared and tensed, preparing for fight or flight. Tossing his materials aside, he pressed his palm against the heavy wood door and pushed. He didn't see anything immediately, but the scent grew stronger._

_He followed his instincts, pressing deeper into the castle. The corridors and rooms he passed were empty, but his sense of unease grew with every step he took. Kharl heard a noise like the striking of steel against stone, and he rushed towards it._

_Later, he often looked back on this moment and knew that it all happened in only a matter of seconds. It played over and over in his mind, haunting his thoughts as he wondered if maybe he could have stopped it, if only he hadn't left, or if he had returned minutes, even seconds earlier. But at this moment, the moment it actually happened, everything seemed to play out in slow motion. Kharl entered the hall and spotted only a human. He was a young man of considerable size. He would be tall, but that he was hunched over, leaning on his sword to stay upright, heaving great gasps. Sweat rolled down his forehead in large droplets. The man's green eyes turned to look at Kharl with something like surprise in his features. The white-haired demon took all this in with a glance, because immediately his attention was drawn to the still figure sprawled out on the floor. Crimson hair was splayed almost artistically across the stone floor, mixing with a darker crimson liquid pooling around his body. Claws were still splayed to attack, once majestic wings now crumpled and broken beneath him._

_All pretenses of human form were abandoned as Kharl let loose his most inhuman screech of rage. The human king, already weary and caught off guard, barely had time to defend himself. He struggled to swing his sword, to block Kharl's vicious blows, and occasionally he managed to attack. But he was unprepared and already tired. He slipped for only an instant, his grip on his weapon unsteady. That instant was all Kharl needed. With fangs and claws and inhuman strength, Kharl ripped the man's body to pieces. _

_Without sparing the human another glance, he fell upon Rigal's still form._

"_Rigal! Rigal, can you hear me? Please answer!" he called as he cradled the bloody body in his arms. A part of him already knew that he was dead, but another part refused to believe it._

"_You are a part of me Rigal, you can't be dead! You can't be gone! Where is your soul?" He cried as he searched for the sensation of warmth that Kharl knew to recognize as his other half. "_Where have you gone?"

_On the other side of the world, Nadil felt a flickering presence inside of him and he gave a wicked smile._

* * *

But of course, just killing the one who killed his king would never be enough to soothe Kharl's rage. He used his power and knowledge of alchemy to bind the man's soul. The King of Arinas, forever trapped and tortured within Kharl's grasp. Because he was never able to be free and move on, so was the land of Arinas cursed to be frozen in time, unable to give birth to new life, until a young man named Nohiro stumbled along and set the king free.

Tintlet had relayed as much to Rune, who now stood in the entrance hall of the Dragon Palace, with Sabel, Naatasu, Ringa, and Silk following close behind.

"Rune," Rath said as he approached. Word had already reached him of the officer's early return. "I thought you were going to be away for much longer. What brings you back so soon?" he asked, casting a glance at his companions behind him, lingering on Sabel before moving back to Rune.

"I had thought so too, my Lord. But urgent business brings me back early, I'm afraid," he said with a frown.

Ruwalk came up from behind Rath. "I'll see to it that Bierrez and Tetheus are summoned to the conference room, shall I?"

"Thatz is not here?"

Rath shook his head. "I had to send him away just this morning on other business. That aside, it's not like you to forget your manners, Rune," he said with a gleam of amusement. It was rare that Rath got to chide Rune for anything.

"What? Oh! Of course," he blushed. Gesturing to the group behind him, he said, "Allow me to introduce to you Naatasu, Ringa, and Silk, a faerie I've long known." He turned to the group. "This is the Dragon Lord, his Majesty Rath Illuser."

"Just Rath is fine," he grinned. He turned to lead them down a corridor. "I'm not too busy today, thank the gods, so let's take this to the conference room, like Ruwalk suggested."

It took a bit of time, waiting for the other officers to arrive, and Rune talked briefly with Rath on his short reunion with the faeries while simultaneously reprimanding Sabel every few minutes for a rude remark or comment. Finally, everyone was seated comfortably and Rath was waiting to find out what new problem he was to be plagued with.

Naatasu was the one who spoke first. "It's about the Demon Alchemist Kharl, the one known as the One-Winged Angel…"

* * *

I'm sorry everyone, I know this is much shorter than some of my previous chapters, and it's been a horrifically long time since last I posted. I apologize.

In regards to the story, I was thinking, since Nadil was able to be revived by sharing his soul with Rath, it might make sense that the two of them had made that agreement back when Rath was the Demon King, and that was how he took over Illuser's body after Lykouleon first decapitated Nadil in volume 2's flashback. Of course, this is just more speculation on my part.

Hopefully the next chapter will be up sooner and will be longer than this one. Until then!


	10. Bon Voyage

The bells on the door of the shop jingled as Thatz walked inside. The place was much improved since he'd last been there, when the shop was in shambles and broken merchandise was scattered across the floor. Now, fine pieces of pottery and ceramics lined the shelves and the shop was clean and tidy. One thing that was the same was the young girl behind the shop counter, dark hair pulled back into a ponytail. She looked up as he entered.

"Welcome to—oh!" Her eyes widened in recognition. "I remember you! You helped defeat Ekidonna for us!"

He gave a little grin and a wave. "Long time no see."

"What brings you to town this time? Vanquishing more demons? Defending your honor as a thief?" she smirked.

"Ehehehe… nothing like that this time, sorry. I need another ship."

She eyes him up, recognizing a change in him. He's different somehow, calmer. "Yeah? What happened to the other ship I sold you?"

He grinned sheepishly. "It's quite probably somewhere at the bottom of the ocean."

She rolled her eyes. "Somehow, it doesn't surprise me. Well, it's not like business is really busy at the moment. I can take you down to the docks now, if you'd like."

"I'd appreciate that."

He waited while she closed up the register and locked up the shop. It didn't take long, and he took the time to look around at some of the items being sold. Being a former thief, he recognized the value and craftsmanship of the pieces. One shelf even had a variety of egg-shaped ornaments. It brought a nostalgic feeling, remembering when he and Kitchel had come for the map piece on a similar ornament. His responsibilities as a Dragon Knight and his responsibilities as a Dragon Officer were very similar. If there was one thing that was different, it was that he was alone a lot more often. As a knight, he had often gone on missions with the other knights or other companions. Now he often went on missions alone. He usually didn't mind; he knew his friends were waiting for him back at the capital. But every so often, like now, he missed the comradeship that came with working as a team.

"Alright, come on then," she said, beckoning for him to follow.

They walked down side-by-side, taking in the scenery of the seaside town. The sea breeze brought with it the scent of salt and fish. By this time, the fishermen would have already hauled in their catches and begun selling.

"This place hasn't changed much, huh?" he said.

"It's a quiet town," she agreed. "I hear the capital has been almost completely rebuilt."

"Yeah," he chuckled. "It was a lot of work, but our new lord has gotten his act together and the city looks good as new."

"Aha! I knew it!" she exclaimed. "I knew you weren't just some common traveler. You're part of the Dragon Tribe aren't you?"

He blinked. "It was never really any secret."

"So do you mind me asking where you went before? I've never seen folk just sail straight out into the ocean the way you three did. At least, of those who have, none of them come back, so most sailors stay along the shoreline. The fishermen never go out too far, either. But here you are."

Thatz shrugged. "It's rough water and demons, mostly. I'm not surprised that no one's made it back."

"What about your friends? Are they…?"

"They're back in the capital, too. Safe and sound."

They'd reached the docks where her father's ships were tied. Two large vessels and three smaller ones all apparently belonged to her family. He peered critically over at the smallest of the bunch. He was no seaman, but that one looked just right for a one-man trip across the sea. It was small enough that it could be managed by only one person, but large enough to handle the larger and rougher waves that he would probably encounter at the Three Pillars of Beginning.

"This one looks like what I need," he said, nodding to himself. He passed her a pouch full of coins. "It'd be awesome if you could throw in a bag of food, like last time."

She peered down at the contents of the pouch and gasped. "This is far too much!"

"Just think of it as making up for last time." He winked. "So, how about that food?"

* * *

Rath sat quietly, with his hands folded in front of him. The time it took for Naatasu to tell his story had consumed most of the afternoon and now the sun was sinking over the horizon, casting an orange glow about the room. Soon they would need to light the lamps within the room, but for now the last sunbeams cast long shadows across them all, masking half of the Dragon Lord's face in darkness.

"Your highness?" asked Naatasu. He had finished speaking minutes ago, and they had all been waiting for Rath to speak, but he'd simply sat in pensive silence.

"I'm sorry, I must think on this matter," said Rath, drawing back to sit up straight in his chair.

"Of course," said Naatasu with a bow.

Ringa narrowed his eyes, but followed Naatasu's lead, and Silk gave a tiny curtsy.

Ruwalk stood and said, "I will lead you to some rooms, if you please. You are more than welcome to stay here in the palace for as long as you need. Our lord will inform you of his decision when it has been made." He lead them out of the room and closed the door behind him with a slight bow, a mere incline of his head.

"What's this about, Rath?" Rune demanded as soon as the latch had clicked shut. "The next course of action should be obvious. This man is dangerous, he almost destroyed an entire race!"

"There is no doubt he poses a threat to security," agreed Tetheus.

"Not to mention his other crimes," added Bierrez. "It's clear he has some greater plan. After all, he was the one who gave me the power to create demons and tried to use me to steal both Cesia and Nadil's head from the Dragon Castle. Now that Nadil is gone, there will be fewer obstacles for him, should he try to claim more power for himself."

Rath slammed his hand down. "I said I will think on this! It is much more complicated than you all think!" He took a deep breath and ran a hand through his hair. "Thatz has already been sent to Arinas to investigate."

"_That _was his mission?!" exclaimed Bierrez.

"You sent him _by himself?!_" Rune shouted almost simultaneously.

Tetheus remained silent.

Rath raised a hand and glared at his officers. "I will rethink my plan and inform you all of my decision tomorrow. You are dismissed." Before any of them could get another word in, Rath was standing and sweeping out of the room.

The remaining three officers looked around at each other.

Rune was the first to speak. "I can't believe he sent Thatz off to another continent and didn't even bother to tell us. It could be dangerous, he shouldn't have gone alone." He stood and began to pace. "I thought he was done with being so secretive, why would he start again now? And why didn't Thatz say anything?"

Bierrez was nodding. "I wonder who else knows. Do you think he told the queen?"

Tetheus stood suddenly. "Regardless of why he wanted it to be kept a secret, it's already been done and rather than criticizing our lord's past decisions, we should consider the new information we have and discuss it with him tomorrow so that we may make new ones. Please excuse me. I have to meet with a team of Dragon Fighters before dinner." And with that, Tetheus also exited the room.

Rune and Bierrez eyed each other warily. They'd never spent much time alone, and their respective backgrounds made them even more suspicious of each other.

Rune was the first to break the silence. "He has a point. Now is not the time to doubt our lord." He stood and gathered some papers together; he seemed to perpetually be in possession of some kind of paperwork. "I will see you at dinner tonight."

Bierrez rose to follow, but more slowly. He had nowhere to be and in his mind he could still remember the pain that Kharl had inflicted on him, the fear that had taken him when he realized Kharl was targeting Cesia, and that cold, calculating glint in the demon alchemist's eyes.

He shook his head and strode down the hallway to his chambers. Rath wasn't the only one with something to think about.

* * *

Garfakcy was tidying absentmindedly. Kharl had seemed to lose focus as he finished telling his story, his eyes gazing into the distance and his voice growing quiet. He'd retired once again to his room.

It left Garfakcy with more than enough to think about. There were so many things in his master's past that he hadn't known, things that now explained many of his actions. Especially where Rath was concerned.

The small man heard what sounded like a rumbling. He looked up to see knick knacks trembling and rattling on their shelves. Somewhere behind him, something crashed to the floor.

"What the-?"

A portal, like the ones that Kharl used to move to various locations, not unlike the ash Garfakcy used, opened in the room. The disturbance it was causing was odd, though. Normally, Kharl's portals were silent, so that no one would know he was there until he wanted them to know.

Garfakcy dropped to the ground and ducked and covering his head, as a shadowy figure leaped through, followed by a small explosion of dust and debris, before the portal closed again.

"I just cleaned this room!" he complained, as he got to his feet again to survey the damage.

Small bits of rubble and debris were scattered across the room, and a fine layer of dirt and dust now covered every available surface. In the middle of the mess, a dog-like beast was crouched, a parcel clenched in its jaws.

"Sinistra!" Garfakcy exclaimed. "You're alive! I thought you were killed when Nadil's castle was destroyed."

The beast shook itself all over, sending another cloud of dirt into the air. Garfakcy coughed and waved his arms around.

"You couldn't have appeared outside the castle and just used the front door like a normal person."

If looks could kill, the aggravated glare Sinistra sent him would have stopped him dead.

"Kharl is upstairs," he offered. "He's not been himself for a while now, though, so—"

Without even waiting for him to finish his sentence, the dark-furred beast had rushed out of the room and the sound of claws on marble floors slowly faded into the distance.

Garfakcy wondered if he should follow. Up until recently, he would have chased after Sinistra eagerly, excited to be a part of Kharl's plans. But things were different now.

He sighed and looked around. He twitched as he observed the state of the room, and decided he should start with what he could—returning the room to a more orderly, dirt-free state.

Kharl would come find him if he needed him.

* * *

Thatz looked up, raising a hand to block the sun as he peered up to where the Three Pillars of Beginning disappeared into the sky. It felt like it had been years since he last saw the goliath structure with Kitchel and Ringleys.

The wind was blowing in irregular gusts with lulls in between. The water turned choppy. In the distance, storm clouds churned and rolled in towards him, a flash of lightning announcing its arrival, followed moments later by a rumble of thunder.

Thatz smiled grimly and secured a bag of supplies against his side with a coil of rope. There ship had not made it through the storm the first time, when there'd been three of them to man the ship. Now he was alone and one-handed. He had no illusions about his ability to keep the ship going.

Resigned, he sighed, "And here's where it starts to get difficult."

* * *

Sorry for taking so long to update. I've sort of not been in the right… mindset, I suppose, for this story. That, and each semester, I seem to get busier and busier. But I'm on winter break now, and I'll hopefully be writing a lot, for this fic and other stories.

I'm a bit late, but Merry Christmas to those who celebrate it! And Happy Holidays to those who don't.


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